


The Jumper and The Skeletons

by LostImmortality



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But not quite, F/M, Fluff, Minor Character Death, Multi, Reader Is Not Chara, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader can dance, Reader can sing, Reader has a past, Reader is a complete nerd, Reader struggles a bit with self-loathing, Reader x Everyone, Reader-Insert, Reverse Harem, Self-Insert, Swearing, The relationship tags are getting out of hand and we’re not slowing down anytime soon, Violence, a lot of aus, almost major character death, reader is female, tags to be updated
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2018-12-16 00:23:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 60
Words: 153,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11817324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostImmortality/pseuds/LostImmortality
Summary: Your life has been relatively normal for a while now. You have a good education, a decent job, and a beautiful house. One day, you wake up to find a strange artifact on your nightstand. Later that same day, Monsters return to the surface after being trapped in the underground for thousands of years. These two events have to be related, right?You're not certain, but you do know one thing for sure; Your life will never be the same.





	1. A Day to Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have a fairly normal day, until it's not so normal anymore.

The sun filtered through the blinds of the room. With a heavy sigh, you pulled the comforter off and rubbed the sleep from your eyes. You scanned over the newly claimed room before wandering over to one of the boxes that you knew held some of your clothes. You made a mental note to finish unpacking after you got back from work.

You liked your job. Teaching kids was something you never thought you would do, and yet here you are. You pulled some leggings and a loose fitting shirt on. The boss had insisted that you kept the tee-shirt with the studio logo on at all times, even if it tended to get in the way of your more acrobatic routines. You supposed that it wasn’t really worth bringing up to him. While you did love your job, you disliked your boss. He was a grade-A asshole. You tried your best to avoid confrontation with the man if you could.

A loud chime brought you out of your thoughts. You turned your attention to the phone on your nightstand. Speak of the devil, you suppose. You reached to answer your phone, only to stop before your hand met the device. There was a small box sitting halfway out from underneath your bed. You… didn’t recognize this box. It was black, and looked fairly well loved. _Where did this come from_? You took one quick glance at your phone before bending down to pick up the box. You carefully pulled off the lid of the old box. Your eyes instantly met the gleam of intricate bronze decorations. It looked to be some kind of large… pocket watch? You ran you fingers across the cool surface before pulling it out of the box. You flipped the trinket over in your hands. Did this belong to you? You had never seen it in your life, and yet… you felt that it was important to you somehow. You studied the row of buttons on the side of the watch. As you went to push the button on the top, your phone rang once more.

_Shit._  You tensed up and quickly dropped the trinket back into its box before shoving it under your bed. _I’m going to be late._ You grabbed your bag and pushed your phone into it. You ran down the set of stairs that led to your room in the attic before racing down the halls and sliding down the banister to your foyer. You still weren’t used to the size of this house. You may have lived alone, but so did your deceased uncle who had lived in the house before you. In your opinion, one person _did not_ need a house with 10 rooms. You weren’t going to complain, though. The house was inherited, and you didn’t have to pay for any of it. You grabbed the keys to your bike before rushing off to work.

_____________________________

You pulled the door to the dance studio open and rushed to your room. “You’re late again, (Y/N).” Lisa, the receptionist, pointed out. “No time to talk Lisa, I’m late!” You gave her a cheeky smile on the way past. She ignored you, instead going back to her paperwork. Another thing you were used to. Your co-workers didn't seem to care for you much. You didn't particularly care, though. You liked to preform, and the kids that you worked with often had the same passion you did.

You threw you bag down in the corner of your room and grabbed your phone. After going through to make sure you had all of the songs set up for today’s classes, you stretched and let out a sigh at the satisfying crack that came from your spine. Your first class of the day would start in about 20 minutes. You knew that before then, your boss would show up and chew you out for being late for the fifth time this month. Mr. Johnson liked to scream, and it seemed that you were his favorite to scream at. Today would be a long day for you.

_____________________________

You sighed and ran a hand through your hair. You had stayed after work for an extra three hours to clean and lock up. Sometimes you wished that the people you worked with weren’t such jerks. You just _know_  that Kevin spilled his stupid energy drink all over the break room on purpose when he heard that you had to stay overtime. If you didn’t care for the kids you worked with, you would be long gone from that job. You wandered over to your living room and fell unceremoniously onto your couch before turning the television to a random channel.

“And now back to you-” Great. News. You decided that while you did not care much for news, you didn’t feel like changing it. The words ‘breaking News’ flashed across the screen in large letters. You let your attention wander from the screen until you heard the words ‘Ebott’ and ‘Biggest event in known history’. You hadn’t caught the rest, but you were sure they were over exaggerating. After all, what could possibly happen to cause that big of a ruckus in your little city?

“Reporters have gathered from near and far to broadcast this monumental event.” The camera shifted from the reporter to the mountain behind her that you recognized to be Mt. Ebott. There was a crowd of people at the base of the mountain that were just out of focus on the camera. Was it a protest? Of course the news would make such a big deal of something as silly as a-

“After allegedly being imprisoned underground for many decades, Monsters have come to the surface. Three hours ago, the King of Monsters made the first contact. Now the president himself is speaking with the self proclaimed king. Will this turn out peacefully? Tune in again to get the answers here first on-” You turned off the T.V, your mouth hanging open in shock. Monsters were... _real_?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Sorry the first chapter is so short. It's my first time writing something that I'm planning on sticking with for an extended amount of time, and I just wanted to get the intro done. I'm most likely going to make the rest of the chapters at least twice as long as this one. Feedback would be appreciated! See you next chapter!!


	2. A Chance Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, what's the deal with these monsters? You intend to find out.

It had been a few weeks since monsters had come up from the underground. You had spent a lot of time in the last few weeks trying your best to learn what you could about the _entire civilization_ that had been living under your feet for god knows how long. Much to your disappointment, you really weren’t able to find any information aside from what you heard in the news and a few children’s story books that you came across. You would have loved to meet one of the monsters in person and ask them the questions that had been plaguing your mind, but that was not possible. Well, not until today.

The King of Monsters, whose name you learned to be Asgore, had claimed that he had hundreds of citizens in the underground who needed places to live. The president had agreed to help him build a community at the base of the mountain where the peaceful monsters could live. You had noticed the increase of construction workers near the mountain. They were most likely beginning to build in the area where monsters had settled with tents and other things of the like.

Along with the housing arrangements, the government had been working on creating identification paperwork for the monsters. Despite everything, the government was handling things surprisingly well. The news this morning had informed you that the last of the paperwork was being finished, and the monsters would be allowed out of the small area they had been stuck in. You knew that there were many people who would be upset over this, but if what you had learned was true, the monsters deserved to up on the surface just as much as any human. The monster’s ‘base of operations’, as you had taken to calling it, was located a little more than a mile away from your house, and you were not missing your opportunity to meet one of theses monsters. You figured that the first place the now freed monsters would go was the city, so that was exactly where you were headed.

The mayor of the city, along with both the president and the King would be at city hall today for a press conference, and you were curious as to how it would go. You had heard that it would be open to the public, so you would definitely add that to your list of things to do today. Time to make your way to the city.

  
______________________

  
The city was fairly busy today. No matter where you went, there seemed to be some sort of crowd standing around. You had the whole day to wander around the city, as the conference wasn’t until later in the afternoon. You had decided to spend the day in the shopping district. The fridge back home was looking pretty empty, anyhow. With a purse over your shoulder and a spring in your step, you made your way to the grocery store. There weren’t many people here compared to the inner city, which was where town hall was located. You hummed to yourself as you grabbed a hand basket and made your way through the aisles. You were being conscious not to grab anything that needed to stay cold. You would be out all day, after all. Maybe just something for dinner tonight? You wanted… pasta. Yes. Pasta sounded really good. You made your way towards the pasta.

“WOWIE!! FRISK WAS RIGHT! THERE ARE SO MANY KINDS OF NOODLES!” You slowed at the loud voice. It was followed by a low mumble that you couldn't quite hear. How many types of noodles did they think there were? You shook off your confusion and headed into the section, only to instantly freeze up.  
There were… skeletons. Like, actual living skeletons standing in front of the bags of pasta. _What_? The taller of the two was throwing all kinds of boxes and bags of pasta into his cart. The shorter of the two looked up at the other with a big grin on his face.

“ ‘course bro, just imagine all the pastabilities.” The taller glared down for but a second before returning to his glorious noodles.

“SANS, EVEN YOU CAN’T RUIN THIS MOMENTOUS OCCASION.” It was at this moment that he turned toward you. “HUMAN!!” You blinked several times before looking behind you. There was no one there. You looked back in the direction of the skeleton. He remained looking towards you. You gave him a confused look and pointed at yourself.

“YES, YOU!” He held up two boxes of spaghetti noodles. “YOU LOOK LIKE YOU COME HERE OFTEN! WHICH BRAND IS BETTER? I WILL ONLY ACCEPT THE MOST MASTERFULLY CREATED NOODLES FOR MY CELEBRATION SPAGHETTI.” You opened your mouth once. Twice.

“I- er-” The shorted skeleton looked at you with narrowed eyes before giving his ‘bro’ a shrug.

“i think you might have made her alfredo you.” The taller skeleton groaned into his gloved hands. You quickly put your hands up.

“N-no. It’s fine. You just took me by surprise, is all. I’m…um. I’m sorry. I’m not really a pasta connoisseur. But-” You pointed to the box in his left hand, “I would personally go with that one. The less expensive brands are usually as good as the others.” He seemed to ponder what you had said for a few seconds before throwing both of the boxes in the cart.

“YOU HAVE MY THANKS, HUMAN! I WILL KEEP THAT IN MIND.” You made your way to the skeletons’ side and quickly grabbed a bag of bow tie noodles to throw in your basket. You put your hand out to the skeleton, who looked even taller up close.

“Happy to help, I guess. I’m (Y/N).” He took your hand with an enthusiasm that you didn’t really expect, and struck a pose.

“I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS. IT IS A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU!” How was his scarf blowing like that? There was no wind. Was he wearing armor? You smiled up at him deciding in that instant that he was your new favorite person. “I’M SURE WE WILL MEET AGAIN, HUMAN (Y/N)!” He pulled away from you and picked up the smaller skeleton. “COME, SANS! WE HAVE MUCH TO DO BEFORE THE PRESS MEETING TODAY!” He threw the smaller skeleton over his shoulder and trotted away. Sans gave his brother a lazy smile as they left. _Huh_. You decided that you wanted to help these people in whatever way you could. You shook out of your stupor, and made your way to pay for your food and leave. You were ready to take on that conference.

__________________________

  
  
You were glad you had decided to get there early. There were already huge crowds surrounding the building. You could see from your spot that there was a table with multiple seats set up at the top of the stairs. There was a constant murmur among the crowd, who were all anxiously awaiting the start of the meeting. Taking a quick scan of the crowd, you noted that you couldn't see any monsters. This was most likely a good thing. You weren’t sure how well the general public could handle monsters yet.

The crowd fell into silence. Two men sat up on the stage followed by a tall goat-man who you recognized to be Asgore. The mayor stood in front of his seat and straightened the stack of papers in front of him. A nervous tick, most likely. The mayor and the president went through introductions before asking the crowd if they had any questions. That was the exact moment when all hell broke loose.

Civilians and press all began shouting over each other. There were camera flashes and an unnecessary amount of shoving as people tried to get to the front of the crowd. You think you may have seen a reporter fall and become swallowed by the crowd. You crosses your arms and gave a death glare to anyone who came too close to you. You could see that The mayor had instantly regretted taking questions. Both the mayor and the president were trying unsuccessfully to regain control. You saw Asgore say something to the president before nodding his head.

“ **SILENCE** ” A loud booming voice shut the crowd up almost immediately. Asgore gave a smile and nod to the crowd. “Howdy. I know you all have many questions, but it would be best to ask them in an orderly fashion. I will answer you all as best I can.” Several reporters raised there hands. Asgore gave them a grin and sat in his seat along with the other two humans who were up there with him. The president gestured to a reporter in front.

“Yes, you say that you have been trapped underground, and are planning on staying outside of Ebott city for an extended amount of time,” Asgore nodded to the man, “Do you plan on traveling beyond Ebott?”

The king noddded. “I hope we can. The world is a large place, and I know many of my citizens would enjoy seeing it. We… Don’t plan on going back underground anytime soon.” The way he had said that made you feel like the monsters refused to go back. Were they afraid? Reporters scribbled on their notepads before the next reporter was called on.

“Will your ‘citizens’ cause any trouble for the inhabitants that are already living in and around Ebott? What dangers do your kind pose to us?” You frowned at the woman’s question. The king seemed to expect this kind of question, however.

“We are a peaceful race. We mean no harm to any of you, and hope you would offer us the same.” Cameras flashed. Another reporter was chosen.

“What do you hope to gain from being on the surface?” Asgore tilted his head slightly.

“Gain? We do not wish to gain anything but our freedom. I speak for all of monsterkind when I say that we genuinely hope this will all work out. My people would be more than willing to help in any way they can.” Asgore seemed like he wanted to say more, but stopped himself and nodded to a new reporter.

“They say that monster posses magic. Is this true?” Asgore seemed like he wanted to stay away from this topic, but nodded nonetheless. Before he could say anything else, the reporter continued, “ Is this magic dangerous to us? Are you able to use it as a weapon?” The president put up his hand before either side could continue.

“I can assure you that even if these monsters do posses magic, they do not have any intention to hurt anyone. Their magic can be a huge advancement for us. From what we’ve learned, they can help us advance both science and medicine quicker and more efficiently than we had ever thought possible.” The reporters began talking over each other once more. The president gestured for the crowd to calm down.

Questions continued like this for a few more minutes, but you had been lost in thought. These people had been trapped underground for so long. After all that time, they had finally come up. If you had been in their shoes, you know you would have been scared to go back. What if they couldn’t get back out again?

“Are there any more questions that need to be addressed before we move on?” You looked up at the panel of people. Your hand shot up in the air. You and the king made eye contact, and he pointed in you direction.

“Where are they staying?” You were met with confused glances. “The, um. The monsters? Where are they staying? They obviously don’t want to go back underground, and it will be a while before the construction on the community is done. Where are they living in the meantime?” The King gave you a soft smile, and the mayor nodded before speaking.

“That brings us to our next topic of discussion. I am doing what I can to accommodate for the monsters that have come above ground, but the truth is, there are not enough places in the city for monsters to stay while the community is being built. While we have found many places for the monsters to go, there are still many that will be without a home.” The president nodded along with the mayor.

He stood up and looked to the crowd. “We have decided that it would be best to accept volunteers to help hose some of these monsters. We will compensate you for the month that they will stay with you.” The crowd began murmuring, but he continued, “I can assure you that all of the monsters being housed have gone through rigorous background and personality checks. Those who apply will be going through the same process, as well as a house inspection. If you are interested in this process, please contact my secretary, Ms. Josephine. That will be all. Thank you.” All of the people at the panel stood up and made their way into the building behind them.  
You quickly made your way out of the crowd before you could get trampled by screaming reporters. You looked up at the building and nodded your head. You would help these people in any way you could. Your house was big enough for a few more, anyways. You pulled out your phone and looked to it with determination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at that! Another chapter! This time with the skelebros! Don't worry, we'll get to the AU's soon. Proboably. ;)


	3. The Living Situation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have some new housemates. Things are going to get interesting.

The paperwork had been a complete nightmare, but you had managed to finish it fairly quickly. They had sent the people for the house inspection not even a few hours after you had brought the paperwork to town hall, where they interrogated you some more. You got a message the following morning that told you that your new tenants would be arriving in a few hours. You were honestly a bit surprised at how fast the whole process went. The government definitely did not drag their feet on this one.  
You had been sitting on your balcony for about an hour now, book in hand. You were having trouble focusing on it, however. Your mind was going a mile a minute. You did not know what to expect with the monsters who would be in your house. The message you had gotten didn’t tell you anything about them accept that there would be two of them. You had seen many different types of monsters on the news, and even some in person. They were all so different than what you were used to. You wondered what kind of monsters you would be living with. You hoped you would get along well with them, whoever they were.

You almost threw your book over the balcony in excitement when you heard the sound of a car pulling up in your driveway. You quickly glanced over the side to see a black SUV parking in front of your house. The book was forgotten as you rushed down to your door. Before you could fling the door open, there was a loud knock. You pulled open the door to see a man in a suit.

“Hello. This is the residency of Ms. (Y/N) (L/N)?” You nodded at the man.

“Yup. That’s me,” You looked behind him, where the car waited. “Are you here to-” He turned back to his car before you could finish your sentence. _Wow. Okay then_. He opened the trunk of the car and grabbed several bags out of it.  
He brought them to your door and dropped them at your feet.

“Good luck, lady.” You gave him a curious look.

“What’s that supposed to-” And he’s walking away from you again. He opened the driver’s door and said something you couldn’t quite catch before getting in the car. The Back doors were swung open, and two monsters came out of the car before it quickly sped off. _Huh. What were the chances of them?_

The taller skeleton looked up at the house. “THIS HOUSE IS HUGE! IT IS SURELY GRAND ENOUGH FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS TO LIVE IN!” You chuckled.

“Yeah, bro. It’s super cool.” His brother didn't seem very enthused. You stepped out of the doorway and waved at the skeletons.

“Well, hey there! Long time no see.” The skeletons over to you as you walked towards them.

“OH!! SANS LOOK AT THAT! IT’S THAT NICE HUMAN FROM THE GROCERY STORE! HUMAN (Y/N)! THIS IS YOUR HOUSE? IT’S BEAUTIFUL!” You grinned up at Papyrus.

“Well I’m glad you think so. It is your house to, after all.” You gesture to the door. “You can look around outside if you want, but I’m gonna take your stuff inside. I’ll let you guys choose the room you want.” You made your way back to the pile of luggage, but before you could reach it, Papyrus ran past you and heaved the pile of it over his shoulder.

“FRET NOT, HUMAN! I WILL TAKE ALL OF THE BAGS TO OUR ROOM!” You shrugged.

“If you insist, dude. You can just take the luggage upstairs for now. I’ll take you on a tour of the place, if you’d like.” He nodded enthusiastically and rushed up the stairs. You turned to the smaller skeleton, who had somehow gotten behind you without you noticing.

“Hey. I never really introduced myself to you,” You held your hand out. “I’m (Y/N). (Y/N) (L/N).” He took your hand, but didn’t really shake it. He just sort of… held it there awkwardly,

"name’s sans. sans the skeleton. i- uhh. i usually have a whoopie cushion in my hand when i first meet people, but you caught me a bit off guard, kid.” You gave him a smirk as you turned back to your house.

“It’s fine. I’m sure you’ll find time to prank me later, Sans the skeleton.” You began walking back inside when you were stopped by a boney hand. You turned back to Sans.

“look kid, i don’t know what your motives are, but i want you to know that if you so much as look at my bro in the wrong way,” The pinpricks of light in his eyes faded out, “ **y** **ou’re gonna have a bad time.** ” You quickly shook off the shock and gently pulled your arm from his grasp.

“I get it. You want to protect your brother. I’m sure things haven’t really been easy for you guys, but I need you to understand something.” You stood up straighter and gave him a wink. “There’s no need to threaten me. I don’t want to hurt anyone. The only motives I have are the same as yours. Your people just seemed like they could use a hand.” You walked back, but stopped in your doorway and turned back to him.

“Besides, if anything happened to you two, I’d just be stuck in this house all by myself. It gets pretty _bonely_ here when I’m alone.” Sans gave you a wide-eyed look, and you turned back towards the foyer.

Papyrus came back from putting the luggage upstairs. You took him around the bottom floor of the house, showing him each room and telling him what it was. Sans followed behind his brother seemingly uninterested. Papyrus seemed to almost vibrate in excitement when you showed him the kitchen. You thought he might faint when you had told him that he could use it anytime he wanted. You think you saw Sans grimace when you had said that, but it was gone before you could be sure. You guided them through the rest of the floor, smiling at the commentary they gave you in each room. Papyrus commented on the amount of time his brother would spend in the living room, and sans claimed that the dining room was the best room to show off ‘culinary brilliance’. Sans seemed interested in the doors that lead downstairs.

“what’s down there?” He pointed at one of the two doors that lead down.

“Well, technically both of the doors go to the basement, but the basement is split into two rooms. I use one of them for storage and laundry, but the other one’s empty.” He seemed to think for a second.

“why's is it split? Isn’t that weird, even by human building standards?” Papyrus elbowed his brother in the ribs. You chuckled.

“It is. My uncle, who owned the house before me, was a bit… eccentric. I don’t know why he split it. One of the many odd architect decisions he made on the house, I guess.” Sans nodded and you pulled them over to the last room on the floor.

“This is the library. While my uncle had odd building tastes, I can definitely respect his love for literature.” The library was the biggest room in the house, and by far your favorite, rivaled only by your room. Both skeletons looked excited by the room.

“Feel free to visit it anytime.” You began to make your way back to the foyer. “C’mon boys. You can set your stuff up in any room you want on the second floor. All of the doors lead to bedrooms or bathrooms, and all of them are free. Pick whatever fits your fancy.” Papyrus went to inspect the rooms. Sans gave you a curious glance.

“where’s your room?” You pointed towards the back corner of the second floor.

“Those stairs lead to the attic. I set up my room in there. It had the most windows.” He gave a look you couldn’t quite place to the ceiling.

“right. you live here alone?” You nodded.

“Graduated college a few months back. I inherited this house from my uncle, and it’s already payed for. The house is way too big for me, but as a broke student, I couldn’t turn the house down.” He nodded at your explanation, but didn’t say anything else. He seemed to be focusing on something. His eyelights seemed focused on your ceiling.

“Hey, are you okay?” He looked back at you with a tight grin.

“what-”

“SANS! I HAVE CHOSEN A ROOM! COME SEE! IT IS BY FAR THE BEST ROOM!” Sans pulled his attention towards his brother.

“ ‘course it is, bro.” Sans followed his brother back down the hall. You smiled and headed downstairs. It was about time for you to make food. You recalled the first time you had met the brothers, and knew almost instantly what you would serve.

“You guys can unpack!! I’m gonna make dinner!!” You called up the stairs before heading towards the kitchen.  
Halfway through cooking, you noticed a presence staring over your shoulder. You turned to see Papyrus standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

“What’s shakin’ bacon?” He fiddled with his red gloves. Before he could answer, you continued, “I’m making chicken alfredo.” He gave you a nod.

“RIGHT. ALFREDO. I HAVE MOST CERTAINLY BOTH MADE AND EATEN THAT DISH BEFORE. THAT DISH THAT IS MADE OF BOTH CHICKEN AND...THINGS.” You smirked.

“Wonderful! I could use a hand if you're not too busy. I can teach you how to make it,” You looked back at him and handed him a spoon, “Not that you need my help, of course.” He took the spoon with a flourish.

“OF COURSE HUMAN! WHAT A GOOD IDEA. I WILL ASSIST YOU WITH MY CULINARY EXPERTISE!” You smiled at him.

“I don’t doubt it. I may learn a thing or two from you,” You directed him to the pot of pasta. “Just make sure that the water doesn’t boil over. It needs to be stored every now and again, too.” He nodded and glared at the pot.

“HUMAN! I BELIEVE THAT THE FLAME IS ON MUCH TOO LOW!” You looked at the stove.

“It’s on high? It doesn't get any higher, Papyrus.” Papyrus seemed outraged at your stove.

“WHAT!?! WON’T IT TAKE FOREVER? WHERE’S THE PASSION?!? YOUR NOODLES WILL NEVER COOK AT THIS RATE!” You gave him a concerned look. He began ranting to you about the heat of the stove. _He’s too precious_. You couldn’t help it. You began giggling at the skeleton. His ranting slowly died off as his attention was pulled to you.

“Paps, it may take longer to cook, but the noodles will cook much more evenly. Besides, passion comes from your soul, not the amount of fire you use to cook.” Papyrus gave you an odd look.

“I SUPPOSE YOU ARE RIGHT…” He put the spoon into the pot before turning to face you fully.

“HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT SOULS?” You tilted your head.

“Well, I know about the concept of souls. What they actually are changes depending on who you ask, though.” You pulled a strainer from a cabinet.

I THOUGHT… WELL, I WAS TOLD THAT HUMANS DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT SOULS.” You made your way to the sink and dumped the pot of noodles.

“Well, most humans know about souls. Unless… They might be something different to monsters? I don’t know. I know a lot of humans believe in souls because of religion and all that jazz.” You looked back at him. “What do they mean to you? Do you believe in souls?”

“WELL OF COURSE I DO! A SOUL IS THE VERY CULMINATION OF YOUR BEING! EVERYONE HAS A SOUL!” You looked back to your cooking.

“That’s an interesting way of looking at it. Up here, souls are mainly things are used by game creators and fanfic writers, and the occasional religion, of course.”  
He opened his mouth as if he had wanted to tell you something else, but shut it as if he had thought better of it. You finished cooking the meal in silence, with the occasional instruction from you.

“And, we’re done. Thanks for the help, Paps.” He looked deep in thought. You may not have known him for long, but his silence bothered you. “I’ll go get Sans.” You turned to leave the kitchen.

“YOU HAVE A GOOD ONE, YOU KNOW.” You looked back at him and tilted your head. “A GOOD SOUL, I MEAN. I CAN TELL.” You gave him a nod.

“I may not know about souls in your culture, but I know that you do too, Papyrus.” He looked away from you, a slight orange tint on his face. Was he blushing? Could skeletons blush? You pointed toward the dinner that you had cooked with him. “If you serve that, I can go get Sans.” He nodded and you went your separate ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw man, these updates are coming fast! They may slow down a bit once I get more into the story. I do have at least one story arc already planned out, so get ready to strap in and hold on to your butts. See you next update!


	4. A Mystery Trinket

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans had been curious about the thing in your room. What is that thing, anyways?

You sighed and pulled your bag over your shoulder. Another day, another dollar, or whatever they say. You made your way downstairs and pushed some bread in the toaster.

“GOOD MORNING HUMAN! YOU ARE CERTAINLY AN EARLY RISER!” You jumped a bit at the loud voice.

“Oh… uh, mornin’ Paps. I’m only up this early because I have work today. I know you guys have only been here for a day, and trust me, I’d much rather hang out with you two, but my boss would have my head if I skipped out.” He nodded as you grabbed your toast.

“OF COURSE YOU MUST GO TO WORK! DON’T LET SANS AND I RUIN YOUR ROUTINE! WORK IS VERY IMPORTANT!” You nodded at him and stuffed the bread in your mouth.

“Right. I’ll be back in a few hours. My number’s on the fridge in just in case. Don’t set anything on fire, please don't paint the walls or the furniture, and um… no house parties without inviting me. Oh! Don’t summon anything, demon or otherwise, and don’t forget-”

“HUMAN! DO NOT WORRY, YOUR HOUSE WILL BE IN PRISTINE SHAPE WHEN YOU RETURN HOME FROM YOUR WORK AT… WHEREVER YOU WORK! I WILL BE AT MY COOL FRIEND UNDYNE’S HOUSE TODAY, BUT I WILL BE SURE THAT SANS DOES NOT LEAVE ANY OFFENSIVE ARTICLES OF CLOTHING IN YOUR LIVING ROOM. NOW,” He turned you around and began pushing you towards the door, “DON’T BE LATE!” You grinned and grabbed your keys.

“Alright, alright. I’ll see you later then.” You left with a spring in your step.

_____________________

You dropped Your keys on the table next to your front door with a sigh. You dragged your feet to your couch and face planted into it. This was the worst day you had had in awhile. Despite beginning the day with a smile on your face, you became angry quickly at the employee's around you. They had spent all morning complaining about monsters, and when you had tried to defend them, you were only met with harsh glares. Man, you really wish you would have gotten the job at the theatre down town.  
You flipped onto your back and stared up at the ceiling. Maybe you could take a nap. Naps were always nice. You closed your eyes and wiggled deeper into the couch.

“hey, kid.”

You jumped at the voice, “Sans! Hi. You’re quiet when you walk around. Did you know that?” He ignored your question and looked you over. “Is Papyrus home?” He stared at you for a few seconds.

“he’s out.” You sat in silence for another few seconds. “how was work? what do you do, anyways?” You felt like he was trying to talk his way around something.

“Honestly, it sucked. I work at a dance studio, but the people I work with and for are… not great.” He nodded.

“you dance.” You nodded, though it wasn’t a question.

“Yeah. I sing, too. Wanted to be a performer when I was little.” He made a hum of thought, but you didn’t think he was really listening.

“what do you know about magic?” Well that was abrupt. You sat up and turned to face him.

“Um… I know it’s a thing monsters have? I think? I don’t really know anything about it. Why?” He glanced up at the ceiling, then glared down at you.

“what’s in the attic?” You gave him a confused look before pulling yourself up.

“My bedroom? I already told you that’s what it was.” He scowled at you.

“no, what’s in there? what are you keeping in there?” You blinked at him a few times.

“Keeping? I don’t really know what you're accusing me of. I don’t keep anything in there… well, aside from the severed heads of my enemies, but-” You noticed that his expression went dark. You felt a strange pressure in the air around you. “Woah, hey! Calm down. Sorry, that was a bad joke.” You gestured to the stairs. “If you really think I’m hiding something in my room, you can go look. I won’t stop you.” You began walking to your room, with Sans following closely behind. You swing open your door and gestured him in. His eyes scanned over your room.

“See? No heads, or whatever you expected.”

“donno, kid. seems like you might have a few skeletons in your closet.” You looked at him in surprise and let out a small chuckle. He gave you a tense smile before scanning your room once more. “what do you keep under your bed?” Your eyes followed his gaze.

“Just some boxes full of junk, an old keyboard, and…” You trailed off. And the watch. How had you forgotten about that?

“and…?” Instead of answering, you made your way to the bed and pulled the old box out from underneath.

“And this thing. I have no idea where it came from. It just sort of… showed up.” You pulled open the box and held the pocket watch out to Sans. His eyes widened and he took it from you hand.

“this is… you said you just found this? this watch means nothing to you? it has no significant value?” You took it back from him and flipped it over in your hands.

“No. Should it? Do you know what it is?” He sat down on your bed.

“sorta. i know a kid who has something like it. it’s a pretty powerful form of magic. usually you have to be pretty attached to something for it become… that.” You held the watch up to the light.

“It’s magic? How? What does it do?” He shrugged and made an I-don’t-know sound. You looked over it one more time before pressing the button that opened it.  
The front cover clicked open to reveal the inside.

The inside did not look like what you had expected it to. One side had what looked to be some kind of keypad. Along the outer edge of the side were small hearts that looked to be made of crystal. There were nine of them, and all of them were different colors. You pulled the watch closer to you. White, blue, orange, purple, indigo, green, yellow, black. Your eyes moved from one side of the watch to the other. The other side was mostly covered by a circular glass panel. It had a few round buttons along the edges in different sizes.

You turned it around to show Sans. “Does the one your friend have look like this? What is it supposed to be?” He came closer to examine the trinket.

“nah, the kid’s got a locket. the item itself is usually different, and so is the magic that comes from it. i don’t really have any idea what that is, though.” You turned it back to you and let out a hum of curiosity.

“What does the locket do? Like, the specific magic. Do you know?”

He nodded. “yeah, it’s a shielding magic. keeps the kiddos DEF up.” You had no idea what DEF was, but you understood shielding magic.

“So someone else has a protection spell on a necklace, but the magic is different depending on the person?” He nodded,” So I have no way of knowing what this thing does?” Another nod. Well, you supposed the best way to figure it out was by pressing everything until something happened. You grinned and quickly went to press the buttons. Sans, however seemed to know what you were thinking. He put his hand over the top, careful not to touch it.

“bad idea, lady. ‘til you know what kind of magic it has, you probably shouldn’t mess with it.” You frowned at him. “don’t worry. i know a guy who might be able to help.” He gave you a wink and closed the watch in your hand. “keep it safe.”

You pulled it into your chest and gave him a smirk. “I’d like to think myself to be a patient person, but curiosity might just win this one out. I hope you can get a hold of your friend quickly.” He gave you a nervous look, but nodded nonetheless. He seemed to think about something before his eye sockets widened. He narrowed his eyes at you.

“ya know, things don’t have magic power unless they are near a large source of magic.” You tilted your head and he scowled at you. “it’s kinda funny you just remembered it when i came in your room. and you said it just ‘appeared’ a few days ago?”

You blinked a few times in surprise before giving him a scowl. “What are you talking about? That’s what happened, I don’t understand why you're mad at me.” The lights in his sockets went out.

“you’re keeping a pretty big secret there, kid. and i don’t really like being **lied** to.” Your frustration turned into genuine confusion.

“I really have no idea what you mean, Sans.” His expression did not change despite your argument.

He went to leave but then stopped and looked back at you. His gaze was set in a hard glare. “stay away from my bro.” He left your room, and you rushed after him.

“Hey! Wait! You can’t just-” When you looked out the doorway he was already gone. You sighed and moved to sit on your bed.

… What had you done wrong? You thought you had been getting along well, but then he suddenly got angry at you. Did you say something? You groaned into your pillow. Today had been absolute _shit_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaannnd here's another chapter! Wowzers, Sans does not trust you at all! Wonder why? ;) I'm doing my best to get the plot moving along, because I know most of you are here for mushy and/or angsty romances, and I can't say I blame you. Don't worry! They'll get here!


	5. Stars and Fast Cars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You could use some distractions from things. You happen to get a few.

You sat on our bed, fiddling with the trinket in thought. The house had been completely silent since the last talk you had with Sans. You sighed and threw the watch onto your nightstand. It made a metallic clatter, but the toss didn’t seem to hurt the watch. You shook your head in frustration, and ran your fingers through your hair. You needed to do something. Sitting around and sulking was not going to do anyone any good.

You drug yourself down to your kitchen and rummaged through your cabinets. Now… Where had you left… _Aha!_ There it was. You pulled out a box of your favorite hot chocolate and put it next to the stove. A pot of milk was quickly heated up before you added the chocolate-y goodness. You poured yourself a generous amount and made your way back up to your room. You grabbed your softest blanket and draped it over your shoulders.

You pulled open the doors to your balcony and took a deep breath. The sun had just finished setting over the horizon, leaving the sky a beautiful shade of orange that faded into a dark blue. You turned to the ladder that you kept leaning against the wall. It made for easy roof access, and climbing with a mug was really difficult. You scurried up the ladder, being very careful not to spill your precious drink. The roof tiles were a bit chilly, but that was what the blanket was for. The blanket was tosses in a spot that you deemed to be good enough, and you planted yourself down.

If there were anything that would prevent you from moving back to the city, this would be it. There was a slight breeze blowing over you, slightly shifting your hair. There was a comfortable silence, the only thing you could here was the sound of the breeze running through the trees. You sipped your drink and closed your eyes. It was just so… peaceful. But the peace wasn’t the best part.

It had taken you about 10 minutes to finish your drink. The sky had gone from a burst of fire to a deep blue. You fell back onto the blanket and let your eyes wander over the sky. With the light gone, you could see the stars perfectly. It was… breathtaking, to put it lightly. The stars twinkled from all angles, and if you looked to the side, you could see the Milky Way. Your eyes followed different patterns in the stars and you found yourself wishing you knew about the constellations.

You had grown up in the city, so you had never really seen the stars in this way before you had left… You didn’t want to finish that thought. Best not to dwell on the past. You appreciated the stars. They helped take your mind off things, even if it was only for a little while. You knew you would have to face your problems eventually, but for now… well, for now you would just let your mind wander as your eyes follow the blinking of a satellite.

… You had never really taken time to realize how crazy life had gotten in the past few weeks. It’s amazing how quickly things could change. You had finished your schooling, and a year early, at that. You had moved into this new house that had way too much space for one person, not that you were complaining. Then there was the bombshell that had been monsters. If someone had told you an ancient race of beings would show up in your town one day, well, you would had pegged them as completely crazy. And now you were living with two of them, even if it was only temporary. You knew things would be different, and you hoped it would be a change for the better.

And with that, you stood up. That was enough deep thinking for one night. You were getting tired, and had no idea what time it was. You climbed back down, mug and blanket in hand. You went back down to the kitchen and dropped your mug in the sink. You would wash it in the morning. You made your way up to your room and got ready for bed. You ploped down onto your bed and snuggled into your blankets.

...And there went your phone. You groaned dramatically and kicked the blankets off of you. You sat up and glared at your phone. You didn’t recognize the number. You angrily answered, fully intending to chew someone’s ear off.

“What?” Your used your best angry mom voice.

“OH! YOU ANSWERED! SWELL! HELLO HUMAN! IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!” You winced and pulled the phone away from your ear, feeling instantly bad for getting cross with the skeleton.

“Papyrus? Why in the world are you calling me at,” You looked at your clock, “Eleven at night?”

“WELL I WAS TRYING TO REACH SANS, BUT THE LAZY BONES WOULDN'T PICK UP HIS PHONE!” You frowned, but before you could say anything about Sans, Papyrus continued.

“I NEED YOUR HELP, HUMAN (Y/N)! YOU SEE, SANS DROPPED ME OFF AT MY COOL FRIEND UNDYNE’S HOUSE, BUT HE FAILED TO PICK ME BACK UP… AND IT’S TOO FAR TO WALK.” You stood up. And stretched, popping your back in the process.

“I can come pick you up, I guess. But… couldn’t you have just asked your friend to take you home?”

“I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT SHE WOULD HAVE IF SHE COULD. NONE OF US HAVE CARS. OR LICENSES.” You pulled on your coat and began making your way back to the door.

“I see… How did Sans get you there, then?”

“WE TOOK A SHORTCUT.” You rolled your eyes, though he couldn’t see it.

“Right. A shortcut. Whatever that means… I’ll be there in a bit. Just text me your friends address.”

“THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I WILL BE SURE TO DO THAT!”

“Cool. See ya in a few.” You hung up before he could say anything else.

You put his contact into your phone before grabbing a key to one of the cars your uncle kept in his garage. You disagreed with your uncle on many things, but his taste in cars was not one of them. You’re lucky your uncle refused to give them to anyone else. You spend the keys in your hand and made your way to the garage. There were two cars and your bike parked in the garage. You pulled open the door to a cherry red Ferrari and fell into the driver’s seat. While the car was a bit… much, the black Lamborghini next to it was even more, er… much. You didn’t usually take the cars out, you preferred your motorcycle.

Your phone vibrated, and you looked down at your screen. Papyrus had sent you the address. You turned the car on and you were off.  
________________________

  
You pulled up to the apartment complex. You were honestly glad that he had called you. This was not the best part of town. You parked the car and sent a text telling Papyrus you were there. You pulled yourself out of the car and leaned against it. Shortly after the door to the building was flung open. A woman, you assumed, with fiery red hair and blue scales made eye contact with you. She marched up to you and stood towering over you. She gave you her best threatening glare. You met her gaze.

“You here for Pap?” You nodded, eyes leaving hers and looking her up and down. Your eyes ended on the top of her head, where her hair was pulled into a ponytail.

“I’m gonna say something you might find really weird, so sorry in advance.” She gave you an odd look. “Your hair is friggin’ gorgeous.” Her face fell into a neutral expression before she gave you a shark-toothed grin.

“Thanks, I guess, punk. You're pretty brave. Most humans are afraid of me.” She took a step back from you. She looked at you, and her eyes wandered behind you. She glanced from you to your car a few more times.

“Pap is gonna flip his lid.” You tilted your head and were about to ask what she had meant when said skeleton came out of the building.

“HUMAN! THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING TO PICK ME UP! I SEE YOU HAVE MET UNDYNE! SHE IS COOL, BUT NOT AS COOL AS I!” He struck a pose and continued to walk towards the two of you. “NO ONE COULD POSSIBLY SURPASS MY LEVEL OF-” He froze with a wide eyed stare. He walked up to the two of you with the same blank expression on his face. “Is that your car?” You hadn’t expected the quiet question from him.

“Um… yeah. I figured you didn’t want to ride on the back of my motorcycle. Is it alright?… do you mind?” He continued to look at the car in silence before turning to you, a serious expression on his face. He grabbed your shoulders and bent down slightly so that you were on the same level. He nodded and pulled you in for a hug. Wow… that sure was a hug. Did… did something just snap?

“Papyrus, you’re crushing me.” You gave a soft cough after. He paused you back, still gripping your shoulders. He had a huge grin on his face. With his face being as close as it was, you could make out faint shapes in his eyes. Where those stars? Dear lord, he was too cute.

“HUMAN! I WOULD LIKE NOTHING MORE THAN TO RIDE IN YOUR CAR! WILL THERE BE ANY HIGHWAYS? I WOULD LIKE TO FEEL THE WIND IN MY HAIR.” Mayday, mayday! The precious is causing malfunctions! Do not aww the skeleton! Do not! Undyne clapped you on the back and you had to catch yourself from falling.

“Thanks for the help on short notice, punk.” Se turned to Papyrus, who was now inspecting the car. “See ya later, nerd.” Papyrus gave her a distracted nod. She laughed and made her way back inside.

You pulled open the door and jumped in the car. Papyrus stood outside the passenger door ringing his hands together nervously.

“What are you waiting for, an invitation? Come on in!” He excitedly pulled the door open and climbed in the car. You pulled away to drive back towards your house. Papyrus looked around at the interior of the car with the same bing grin on his face. You smirked at him. “Do you wanna pop the top?”

He looked at you with confusion. “DO I… WHAT?” You pointed to a button in the middle console.

“Just press that.” You noticed his hesitation. “Don’t worry. I give you my full consent to mess with the buttons on the console.” After you had said that he pushed the button without hesitation. The top to your car began to fold back, and his eyes widened. “I figured that we have a few highways before we reach home. Maybe I’ll take the scenic route home. If you don’t mind a longer drive, that is.” He looked over to you with an orange tint above his smile. He looked back to the other side of the car, practically vibrating in his seat.

You sat forward and reached for the radio. “Any specific type of music you wanna listen to?” He shook his head and you plugged in your phone. You hit the shuffle button and smiled at the song that had come on. You drummed your fingers with the intro and began to softly sing along.

 _"Well I’m running down the road_  
_Trying to lighten my load_  
_I’ve got seven women on my mind._  
_Four that wanna own me_  
_Two that wanna stone me_  
_One says she’s a friend of mine."_

You turned to Papyrus and gave him a wink before singing the song louder.

 _"Take it easy, take it easy_  
_Don’t let the sound from your own wheels_  
_Drive you crazy_  
_Lighten up while you still can_  
_Don’t even try to understand_  
_Just find a place to make your stand_  
_And take it easy."_

While your eyes were still on the road, you danced along to the song. Your voice rang almost louder than the radio itself. You had a carefree smile on your face as you drummed your fingers with the beat. Unbenounced to you, the passenger in your car had been watching you with a thoughtful look, a light dusting of orange covering his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A wild chapter appears!!! And it looks like someone has a crush ;) I don't blame him, you're a cutie. ;)))))  
> The song is 'Take it Easy' by the Eagles
> 
> Wowzers! People are actually interested and/or invested in my story! You're all so nice! I'm excited to share this story with you guys! If you'd like to drop by and have a chit-chat with me, here's my Tumblr!  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lost-immortality  
> I don't really post any fandom stuff on there, but if you like bad jokes and cute animals, then give it a look if you want.  
> Also, What do you think reader should save Papyrus's contact as? I want your input!!


	6. Rebel Yell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have a lot of people who like to argue with you, but at east you know Papyrus is always on your side.

With a yawn, you tossed open your door and stood up. You had taken a long time to drive home, and you needed sleep. You had almost forgotten that the cheerful skeleton had woken you up. But now, with him safely home, you felt like you could sleep for a week straight. You turned to Papyrus, who had gotten out of the car a few seconds after you did.

“That was fun. We’ll have to do it again sometime, yeah?” He gave you a dazzling smile and nodded.

“OF COURSE, (Y/N)! YOUR CAR IS ALMOST AS COOL AS THE GREAT PAPYRUS!” He hesitated and looked away from you for a second. “MAY I ASK A FAVOR OF YOU?” You smiled at him and gave him an nod.

“Sure. What can I help you with?” He looked at the car for a few seconds.

“WOULD YOU MIND IF MY BROTHER AND I EXCHANGED THE FURNITURE IN OUR ROOMS? I WOULD LIKE TO BRING SOME OF OUR STUFF UP FROM OUR OLD HOME.” You gave him a smirk.

“What, you don’t like my taste in furniture?” He seemed to get a bit nervous.

“NO,NO! YOUR FURNISHINGS ARE QUITE EXQUISITE, IT’S JUST… I WANT TO-” You put your hand up, stopping the skeleton.

“Of course, Paps. I was only kidding. Those rooms are pretty bland, anyways. Feel free to do what you want with it. Just, uh… don’t knock the walls out or anything extreme.” He nodded and began making his way inside. You promptly followed.

“NOTED! THANK YOU MUCH! I WILL GO TELL SANS! HE WILL BE SO EXCITED!” You chucked and jogged lightly to keep up with Papyrus. Sweet Christmas, he was tall. You reached the door and pulled it open. He looked like he was about to shout, but you quickly silenced him.

“Maybe you should tell Sans in the morning. It’s like,” You looked at your phone, “One in the morning. He’s probably asleep.” He went to answer you, but stopped himself and nodded instead. You both turned to the staircase, only to be met with a cross looking skeleton. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest, and he wore an angry scowl on his face.

“tell me what?” You opened your mouth to answer, only to be interrupted by Sans. “do you have any idea what time it is? where have you two been?”

“We-”

“i know i was late to undyne’s, but only by like, a half hour. When i showed up at her house, you know what she said? she said _you_ came to pick pap up.” His posture shifted to be more hostile, and he moved closer to you. “So, i came home and waited. and waited. and waited.” At this point, he was very much in your personal space. He pointed a finger at you in accusation. “you had him out god knows where. and i had no idea where he was. he could’ve been hurt, or...or worse!” You saw his face shift from fury to concern for a second, but it fell before you could comment. Not that he was letting you get a word in edgewise, anyways. “i warned you. i don’t know what you’re up to, but know that i don’t trust you. and if you continue the way you are, well-” His eyelights had gone out completely. Despite trying to keep a brave face, you had shrunken into yourself. It wasn’t what he was saying that was bothering you, but the way he said it reminded you of-

“BROTHER!” Papyrus had grabbed Sans by the shoulders and lifted him away from you. “YOU ARE BEING COMPLETELY UNREASONABLE! SHE HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT HOSPITABLE THIS ENTIRE TIME! BESIDES, IT WAS YOU WHO WASN’T ANSWERING OUR PHONE!” Sans bashfully looked at the floor.

“i know, i left it at grilbz. but she-”

He pulled his brother up to be eye level with him. “SHE TOOK ME OUT DRIVING. IN HER CONVERTIBLE. IN HER RED CONVERTIBLE. IT WAS MY FAULT WE WERE OUT LATE. IT IS ALSO MY FAULT SHE CAME TO GET ME IN THE FIRST PLACE. I CALLED HER TO GET ME WHEN YOU DIDN’T ANSWER.” Sans was still glaring over at you when his brother shook him lightly to bring his attention back. “SANS. YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE OLDER BROTHER. YOU ARE ACTING LIKE A CHILD.” He gently put sans down. He turned back to you with a tight smile on his face. You took a deep breath and straightened yourself out.

“Look, i’m sorry I made you nervous. I didn’t mean to do that.” You hugged your arms around yourself before rushing upstairs without waiting for a reply. You shouted a goodnight on the way to your door. The lock clicked behind you, and you collapsed onto your bed.

He was just protective of his brother, and you knew that. You could tell that he had been through a lot. You could see it in the way he held himself. In the way he spoke. He just seemed so… tired. Plus, you knew a fake smile when you saw one, even if it was on a skeleton. You knew he didn’t get much sleep either, despite what Papyrus claims. You could relate to a few of those symptoms. You knew what the difference between him and yourself was, however. You had seen it in his face during the argument that had just happened. He had lost hope. You wanted to bring it back. You were filled with kindness.

  
__________________

 

It had been a few days, and the house had been tense. Most of the time, Papyrus’ attempts at defusing the situations had fallen flat. No conversation had really happened between you and Sans. Papyrus was, unsurprisingly, on good terms with both of you, and was begrudgingly acting as a middle man. He had told you that they had gotten their stuff from the Underground, and he had given you the furniture that was in both his and Sans’ room. He usually told you what times he knew Sans was in or out of the house, and you’re sure he did the same for his brother. Other than that, you had gone about your days like normal. Relatively. It was another work day for you, and you, for once, welcomed the change of pace. You may not have liked your coworkers, but at least they spoke to you. Sort of. The dislike for you had skyrocketed silence you had expressed your feelings on monsters.

You parked in front of your work and pulled your bag off of your bike. You tossed the sport’s bag over your shoulder and made your way inside. The bell above the door rang as you went in. The receptionist gave you a scowl. Ah, yes. The loving staff is here to greet you once again.

“Good morning, Lisa. Good to see you here all bright eyed and bushy tailed.” She shook her head at you and turned back to her computer. “I’m doing wonderfully, thanks for asking. And how are you today?”

“Don’t you have a job to do? Stop pestering me and go do it.” You smirked bitterly as you pulled open the door to your room. You tossed your bag into the usual corner and got ready for your first class. There was music playing over the speakers quietly as you did some stretches. You hummed softly with the familiar instrumentals. A muffled jingle could be heard from the lobby. That was odd… the first class wasn’t for another fifty minutes, and people didn’t usually come in to register this late into the season. You paused your music and moved to the door.

“Where’s your mom, kid?” You heard Lisa ask. You didn’t hear anything for a few seconds. “What are you doing with your hands? Go get a parent, and they can talk with me if you want to join.” You poked your head out the door. There were a few more seconds of quiet. You left your room and made your way down the hall to see a small kid trying to look over the reception desk. They looked to be about six or seven. They took a few steps back and pointed to the door.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to tell me kid. Stop playing games and use your words.” They seemed a bit upset at this. They played with the ends of their sweater nervously and looked around the room. Their big brown eyes met yours and you gave them a gentle smile. You went to walk towards them when the bell rang once more.

“Hello. I apologize for Frisk’s behavior. They got a bit excited.” A soft voice came from a large goat woman. You were surprised for a second. She was as tall as Papyrus, and had a kind look on her face. The kid turned to her and moved their hands in what you recognized to be sign language. Her eyes widened for a moment.

“Oh! I see!” She smiled at Lisa, who looked to be giving her desk a death grip. You were behind her, so you couldn’t read her expression. “I am Frisk’s mother. They have recently been very interested in dancing, and I decided that they should be put into a school for it.” Lisa pulled her hands to her lap and sat up straighter.

“Ma’am, I’m afraid that I can’t do that.” The lady smoothed her dress and continued to smile at Lisa.

“I know that it is very late into the season, but Frisk is a fast learner, and I have confidence that they will catch on quickly.” Lisa shook her head.

“That’s not why I’m turning you away.” Oh, she had better not. You could practically hear the snarky look on her face when she uttered her next words. “This establishment has the right to turn away anyone, and I would not feel comfortable with a monster in my workplace.” The mother and her kid both had crestfallen looks on their faces. Oh hell no. You stomped out into the lobby, directly past Lisa and in front of the small family.

“I’m very sorry about her behavior. It was wrong of her to say that. I will _personally_ ,” You gave a pointed look to Lisa, “give your kid, Frisk was it? I’ll give them lessons.” She blinked at you with surprise in her eyes.

“A-are you sure you can do that for us?” You smiled and opened your mouth only to be interrupted.

“No! She Can’t. You have to go through all of the same protocols as everyone else, and I refuse to do them!” She turned to you,”You can’t just let people in your classes, especially people who pose a threat to my personal safety.” She crossed her arms and pointed to the door “She and the kid need to leave. NOW.” The loud order seemed to startle the two others in the room.

“Threat to your personal safety? Are you serious? The only person in this room who’s a threat to your personal safety is me! You have no right to refuse this nice lady and her kid.”

Her face was red in anger. “NOW LISTEN HERE-”

“WHAT,” A familiar voice boomed. “Is going on in here?” Your boss entered the room and looked from you, to Lisa, to the woman and her kid.

“Well, This sweet little kid was interested in dance lessons, and I offered to give them some. Lisa, however, seemed to have a problem with that.” Lisa nodded her head and gestured angrily to the family.

“Of course I have a problem with it! Just look at them!” Mr. Johnson scowled.

“She’s right (Y/N).” You were speechless. How could people be so horrible? “These things are dangerous. I will not have them in my studio.” You audibly growled at his words.

“They are not things. They are people. And they are no more dangerous that humans.” You looked over at the mother, who seemed very conflicted. “This woman has been nothing but kind the entire time she’s been in here, and she’s only been met with rude comments from you people! It's not fair!”

He gave you a bitter chuckle. “No, do you know what’s not fair? That these things get to come up here and take over our city, and they still expect to be treated with civility. They are monsters, (Y/N). You shouldn't treat them like they’re humans, because they aren’t.” You huffed in frustration and shook your head.

“You’re right. Humans are so much worse. I will take this kid into my class and handle their mother. You won’t have to do anything with them.” He shook his head quickly.

“The hell you will!”

You gave him a bitter smirk, “Watch me.”

“Fine. You’re fired.”

You froze. _That ass_. You quickly shook it off and turned to the woman and her child.

“I’m sorry about that. Would you mind waiting outside a second while I get my bag?” The woman looked at you with shock on her face. She gave you a half nod, still looking at you with wide eyes. You gave Frisk a small wave and turned back to your room. It wasn’t your room anymore, you supposed. You quickly grabbed your things and headed out the building, flipping off the two people still standing at the front desk.

“I hope karma comes back to bite you two in the ass. Have a lovely day.” You turned and opened the door. You gave them a sarcastic curtsy and left the building, slamming the door on the way out. You looked over to see the lady and her kid waiting by the edge of the building. You took a deep breath before walking in their direction. “Hey. Look I’m really sorry about how they treated you. It was-” You made a small squeak when the kid tackled your midsection in a bear hug. They looked up at you with a frown on their face.

“I’m so very sorry that we caused you to lose your job. You did not have to do any of that.” You gave the woman a gentle smile.

“Hey, it’s not your fault. They were treating you unfairly. I didn’t really like working there, anyways.” Frisk let you go and took a few steps back. They signed to you. You tilted your head in confusion. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand. I never learned sign.” They gave you a nod and put their hands down to a pocket and pulled out a phone, typing something quickly.

_You were a teacher? Does that mean you're a good dancer?_

You chuckled. “Yeah. I was a teacher there. I would certainly hope I’m a good dancer. Dancing was a third of my college minor.” You shot the kid a wink. The grinned and pulled on the goat woman’s sleeve. She nodded at the rapid signing.

She smiled at you, “I apologize. Where are my manors? I am Toriel. This is my child, Frisk.” You smiled and put your hands out, one to Toriel, and one to Frisk.

“I’m (Y/N). It’s nice to meet you, though I wish it would have been under different circumstances.” They both took a hand. Toriel’s hand completely enveloped yours, and you found yourself admiring how soft she was. Frisk, on the other hand, had their small had wrapped around yours in an impressive grip, and was shaking it vigorously. You pulled your hands away and giggled slightly.

You dropped yourself down to Frisk’s level. “If you still want those dance lessons, I’d be happy to give them.” They beamed at you. You held up a finger, “But only if you promise to teach me some sign language in exchange.” They pretended to give the idea a serious ponder before smiling and nodding their head. “‘Course I’ll need your mom’s permission first.” You stood back up and looked to Toriel. Frisk gave her some of the best puppy dog eyes you had ever seen. She gave a gentle chuckle.

“Of course, my child.” She looked down at you. “Thank you very much. I don’t know how I can repay you.”

You smirked, “You can’t. I won’t take it. You have nothing to repay me for.” She gave you a smile. He eyes seemed to be watering a little.

“I’m glad that there are good people like you.” You blushed slightly at the genuine compliment. She pulled out a pen and paper from her purse and scribbled something down on it. She handed it to you with a smile. “You’ll have to tell me when you’re free for those lessons.” You nodded at her. She looked down at Frisk with an affectionate smile. “Let’s go home.” The kid nodded and took their mother’s hand before the pair turned away from you. You looked down at the paper.

 _XXX-XXX-XXXX_  
Thank you again.  
I’m afraid you might not have too many lessons. Frisk has been jumping between sports like crazy, but it would be nice of you to teach them anyways.  
-Toriel

  
You smiled at the note and stuffed it in your pocket. Her new contact was saved as ‘Goat Mama’. It just felt… right. You made your way to your bike and threw your bag on it. You pulled your helmet over your head and looked back to the building you had just been fired from. Your smiled dropped. The bike hummed to life and you pulled off towards your home.  
________________

  
You pulled open your door and closed it harshly behind you. You grumbled and stomped upstairs. Before you could get to the second set of stairs that led to your room, however, A head peeked out from one of the doors before it was enthusiastically pushed open.

“(Y/N)!! YOU’RE HOME EARLY! DID YOUR WORK LET YOU OUT SO SOON FOR A REASON?” You sighed deeply.

“Yeah. They did. But it doesn’t matter.” His face fell into a frown.

“YOU SEEM UPSET. ARE YOU ALRIGHT?”

You smiled bitterly, “I’ll… I’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”

He walked up to you aand gave you a concerned look. “ARE YOU SURE? DID SOMETHING HAPPEN AT WORK?” You opened your mouth, but stopped yourself seeing the genuine concern in his eyes, or lack thereof. You couldn’t lie to him. But you didn’t want to tell him everything, either. He was just too… optimistic. You didn’t want him to feel like it was the fault of his people, and you certainly didn’t want his pity. You settled on giving him a nod of confirmation.

He gave you an encouraging smile. “WELL, I’M SURE THAT YOU WILL RESOLVE EVERYTHING WITH YOUR WORKMATES TOMORROW.” Another bitter laugh escaped your lips.

“I appreciate it, but I really doubt it.”

“WHY?”

“Because I’m not going back.” You used a gentle voice.

“WHY?”

You sighed, but then smiled, “Y’know. It doesn’t matter. You’ve been wanting to cook something, right? Why don’t you do dinner tonight?” He frowned at you.

“ALRIGHT. I’LL DROP IT FOR NOW. JUST REMEMBER THAT YOUR COOLEST FRIEND IS ALWAYS HERE TO LISTEN.” You smiled.

“Thanks, Paps.” You both stood in silence for a few seconds.

He sheepishly rubbed his arm, “WERE YOU SERIOUS ABOUT DINNER?” You giggled.

“‘Course. Knock yourself out.” He grinned and ran downstairs. You looked in the direction he had disappeared with a soft smile.

You turned, and your eyes met the pinpricks of familiar eyelights. Sans stood in the doorway to his room a few feet away from you. You didn’t feel like fighting him today. You were too exhausted.

“Hey.” You gave him a greeting. Might as well be civil. He looked you over.

“what happened at your work that you can’t tell my bro?” You looked away from him. Your eyes scanned the hall before they landed back on him. You knew lying to him would get you nowhere. You just wanted to get along with the guy.

“I was fired.”

“for what?”

“There was a… disagreement about the clientele. My boss didn’t want monsters in his business. I disagreed. A nice lady and her kid were turned away. I thought it was wrong. ”He looked at you in silent contemplation. He was about to say something else when Papyrus came rushing up the stairs.

“OH! (Y/N)! WE ARE GETTING TOGETHER WITH SOME OF OUR FRIENDS TOMORROW. YOU ARE INVITED TO JOIN US! THERE WILL BE MANY PEOPLE THERE! LIKE ME, WHO IS GREAT, MY BROTHER, AND UNDYNE, WHO YOU’VE MET! AND MORE!” You chuckled.

“You sound like an infomercial. If you want me to come, I will. No need to sell me on it.” He nodded.

“WONDERFUL! I WILL TELL THEM ALL YOU ARE COMING! CAN WE,” He paused. “CAN WE TAKE YOUR CAR?”

“‘Course we can. As long as you know where you’re going, I can get us there.”

“FANTASTIC! IT’S A DATE, THEN!” You smirked at the skeleton. He struck a pose. You stopped when you smelled something odd.

“Um. Paps. Are you… Burning something?”

“OF COURSE I AM! I AM IMBUING THE PASTA WITH THE FIRES OF PASSION! IT IS SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI, AFTER ALL, AND I WANT ONLY THE BEST FOR MY DEAR FRIEND! I EVEN PUNCHED THE TOMATOES WITH LOVE! AND NOT THE BAD KIND!” You weren’t sure what the bad kind of love was. You thought about what he had said and came upon a sudden realization. This… could very well be the last night of your life. This skeleton. This precious. Darling. Skeleton. Was going to kill you. He was going to accidentally poison you. How were you going to live with that on your conscience? He would be devastated.

You sighed and ran a hand through your hair as Papyrus ran downstairs. You turned back to the door were sans had been standing, but the door was closed. Welp. Time to go right your will, you guessed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update! So soon! Wowzers! I'm on fire! (No, for real. It's 108 in my area of California today. Bleh.) I'll keep he updates coming as fast as I can, but I do have to work, so there's that. I'm not entirely sure how quickly I'll be getting to the AU's, but I promise they're coming! Thank you for reading! Have a lovely rest of your day (or night. IDK. You do you, boo.) and stick around for another chapter!
> 
> My Tumblr:  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lost-immortality


	7. New Friends, Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You meet some new friends in various ways. How will this affect you? You also meet som old-new friends, much to the surprise of some of your house mates.

A large plate of pasta sat in front of you. It… looked fairly decent. Maybe you would be okay? You looked to the tallest brother. He was giving you an expectant gaze that was filled with excitement.

“I DO HOPE YOU LIKE IT! I WORKED EXTRA HARD ON IT, BUT I COULDN’T FIND ANY GLITTER IN YOUR KITCHEN, SO I MADE DO WITH WHAT I HAD!” Your skin paled. You looked over to Sans who was sitting next to his brother. He was staring at you with an expression that you couldn’t quite place. The noodles spun as you twirled the fork around. You brought the fork to your mouth and hesitated for a second. You could do this. You spared one last glance at your housemates. Sans continued to stare at you, and Papyrus leaned closer to you in anticipation. Well, here goes nothing. You shoved the food in your mouth and began to chew. You’re sure that your face scrunched up as the taste settled on your tongue. It was just so- _holy shit. Something just crunched._ You gagged slightly at the unexpected texture, and quickly swallowed the bite in one fell swoop. Papyrus beamed at you.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK? IS IT AS MAGNIFICENT AS I?” You glanced nervously at the plate.You tried to think of a way you could sugarcoat it for him.

“Well, nothing is as great as you… but the taste was… unlike anything I have ever tried.” Well, you weren’t _lying_. “But! As with all great art forms, there is always room for improvements. If you’d like, I could show you how I make spaghetti. I’m sure that there are differences in our… artistic processes.” He seemed to ponder your words for a second before posing dramatically.

“BUT OF COURSE HUMAN! YOU WOULD NO DOUBT BENEFIT FROM COOKING IN THE PRESENCE OF A MASTER SPAGHETTORE SUCH AS MYSELF! NYEH-HEH-HE!” You giggled and nodded at him. Seeing your reaction to his food, Papyrus took his own plate and quickly scarfed down the offending dish. He went into the kitchen, no doubt to toss his plate in the sink, and came back.

“THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO MAKE DINNER (Y/N)! I AM AFRAID IT IS TIME FOR ME TO HEAD OFF TO SLEEP NOW! I NEED TO BE WELL RESTED WHEN WE GO TOMORROW! GOOD NIGHT YOU TWO! DON’T STAY UP TOO LATE!” You nodded and gave him a heartfelt goodnight. You heard Sans mumble something similar. You smiled at the doorway until you were sur he had gone upstairs. Turning back to your plate, your face fell and your posture dropped. You looked up at Sans, whose eyes had never left you. His plate was empty. Actually, it was perfectly clean. He hadn’t even touched his fork! Where had it gone? Your eyes shifted to you plate, and then to your lap. Would he be offended if you didn’t finish it?

“I’m not really that hungry. I’ll, um, find something to put the leftovers in.” You stood up and grabbed your full plate. “Your brother’s a very… enthusiastic cook.” He tilted his head at you. His grin, while still tight, seemed to relax slightly.

“if you like it so much, i’m sure he would be happy to make it for every meal. he did when we lived back in snowdin.” You tensed and gripped the plate harder. You began making your way to the kitchen.

“That’s not necessary! I wouldn’t dare bother him to do the cooking all the time! It must be so-” He snorted and let a deep chuckle out.

“You’re messing with me.”

“i know my bros food is a bit hard to stomach.” He paused and looked down at his empty plate. “thanks for not tellin’ him, through.” His plate was added to yours as you grabbed it from him.

“I only told him the truth. I never said that I liked it.” You chuckled as you entered the kitchen to throw the dishes in the sink. As you passed back through the dining room, you gave Sans a goodnight. He didn’t reply. Not that you expected one. At least he seemed to be tolerating you slightly more.

The rhythmic sound of your footsteps could be heard as you made your way upstairs. Once you climbed the set of stairs that led to your room, you got ready for bed. You had an early morning tomorrow, as Papyrus would most likely want to leave as early as possible. You pulled your hands above your head and arched your back. After hearing a satisfying crack, you jumped onto your bed and curled into your blankets.  
________________________

A blinding white greeted you as you opened your eyes. You blinked rapidly to combat the light. Eventually, you had grown used to it. You scanned your surroundings only to be left confused. There was nothing. It wasn’t even an empty room. It was just… nothingness. A few spins confirmed that it was like this all around you. There was seemingly no end to the strange whiteness. You took a shakey breath and began walking in a direction. For all you knew, however, you could have been walking in circles. You had no sense of direction in this strange place.

Why were you here? Hadn’t you been sleeping? Was this… a dream? You looked down to your hands, and clenched them into tight fists. You could feel the pain from your nails stabbing into your palms. This all felt to real to be a dream, but it was just so odd. All of the details that you noticed made it seem like you were actually there… Wherever there was.

The place was almost deafeningly silent. You could hear the beating of your heart. The sound of your footsteps echoed like gunshots in your ears, almost sounding like they didn’t quite match up with your footfalls. Both your breath and speed increased as you started to panic. How were you going to get out? There was nothing here!  
Running a hand through your hair, you stopped running and looked down at your feet. It took you a second to process what you saw. You were in the same clothes you had gone to sleep in. A purple tank top, some pajama shorts with little foxes printed on them, and nothing on your feet. You weren’t wearing shoes. A tremor went through your body and you tensed up. That means… those weren’t your footsteps you were hearing. Someone- or something- was following you.You took a deep breath and held it in before slowly turning around.

Your eyes fell on a figure that was shorter than you. You met a pair of black eyes. You squealed and launched yourself away from the figure. Somehow, you ended up sitting on the floor in your panic. They weren’t her before! Your feet propelled you backwards, your eyes never leaving the childlike being. They made no move to follow you. The gray scale… thing put its hands up in what you assumed was supposed to be a calming gesture. Then they spoke.

“Please don’t be afraid of me.” Their voice sounded off. It sounded almost like they were talking through a radio behind a wall of water. It was discombobulating. Once you stopped scooting away, they took a careful step towards you.

“My name is Frisk, and you are the only one that can help them.” Your eyes widened. This being couldn't possibly be Frisk… Although, they did look almost exactly the same. They took one more step towards you and dropped a hand from its position in front of them to offer to you. Opened your mouth to try to speak, but no words came out.

“I know you are confused. I am Frisk, just… not the one you know.” You must have made a confused face, because the child continued. “You will understand in time. You will have to. They need you.” It took you a few seconds to find your voice again.

“I don’t… Who are you talking about? Who needs my help?”

“You don’t know them yet. But you will. Just know that everything that is going to happen is for a reason. There is a great danger threatening our multiverse, and you are the only one who can stop it, (Y/N).” You stood up without the use of the kid’s hand and began slightly pacing.

“Multiverse? What are you talking about? I don’t understand.” Your voice was beginning to gain an irritated tone. The child almost looked like they glitched for a second, and a worried expression crossed their otherwise neutral face.

“I know, but I can’t explain any more right now. I promise that you will figure it all out. The answers you are looking for lie closer than you think. I have to leave now, and so do you. I will see you again.” Their voice seemed a bit more static than it was before. You opened your mouth to respond to the frustratingly cryptic kid, but before you could get a word out, they snapped their fingers.  
_______________________

You shot up in bed, your alarm blaring throughout the room. You gasped and sputtered, struggling to catch your breath for a few seconds. You looked around the room in panic before settling down enough to get your bearings. That had been the most realistic dream you had had in awhile. At least it wasn’t a nightmare akin to the ones that normally plagued your dreams.

You reached your hand out to silence your alarm, only for a loud clatter reach your ears as something metal hit the floor. You looked down on the floor to see the watch at the foot of your bed. How had it gotten there? Without getting all of the way out of your bed, you reached down to pick it up. You examined it carefully. It didn’t seem to be hurt by the fall. It was set on your nightstand for contemplation on a later date.

You leaned back in your bead for a few seconds before you heard a set of heavy footfalls coming up the stairs that led to your door. A loud banging brought your focus to your bedroom door.

“(Y/N)! WE WILL BE LEAVING SHORTLY, SO PLEASE GET READY TO GO!” The stomping began again, this time descending the stairs. You heard the taller brother jump over the last few steps. A giggle passed your lips.

You stood up and chose an outfit for the day. You opened the door to the bathroom that was connected to your room and jumped in the shower. Once you were satisfied with both your cleanliness and the amount of deep thoughts that passed your mind, you got out and finished your morning routine. When you went downstairs, both brothers were already waiting for you in the foyer.

“ARE YOU BOTH READY TO GO?”

“yup”

“Sure! I’m excited to meet your friends! Are you ready to go, Paps?” He gave an enthusiastic nod.

“I’M SUPER DUPER READY! LET’S GO!”

You nodded, and you all made your way to the car and piled in. Papyrus had called shotgun almost immoderately, and Sans found his spot in the middle back seat. You pulled away, and Papyrus began giving you the directions to his friend’s house. Sans was quiet the entire drive, and you were sure that he fell asleep at one point.  
Eventually, you arrived at a small housing community at the edge of Ebott city. The houses were two story, and all of them were fairly pretty. You pulled up to the house that Papyrus was excitedly pointing to. It was a cute pale brown house that had lots of planters full of yellow flowers around it. Papyrus and Sans made their way up to the door, you following closely behind. Papyrus gave a loud knock, and almost instantly, a familiar face slammed the door open.

Undyne pulled Papyrus into her chest and began furiously rubbing her fist on his skull.  
“NYHO-HO-HO.” Papyrus whined and tried pulling himself out of the fish lady’s iron grip. “PLEASE DON’T NOOGIE THE SKELETON!” While this was happening, Sans slid past the two into the house. Undyne released Papyrus and turned to you.

“Hey there, punk! How was the drive?” You smiled and gave her a small wave.

“It was fun! You should come with us one of these days.” You walked through the doorway. Undyne, now beside you, clapped you on the back. You barely caught yourself from flying forward.

“Sure! I’ll invite my girl! She’d love something like that!” You nodded and followed Papyrus and Undyne into the living room. Papyrus turned to you and made a wide gesture.

“WELCOME TO THE LIVING ROOM. LADY ASGORE IS PROBABLY IN THE KITCHEN, AND THIS,” he gestured to a little yellow dinosaur that sat on the couch. She has shrunken herself into her tee-shirt that had an anime character on it that you did not recognize. “IS ALPHYS!” Undyne plopped on the couch next to her. She gave you a nervous wave, any you returned the gesture with a gentle smile.

“SOMEWHERE AROUND HERE IS-” Before he could finish his introductions, you were hit in the legs with a small, warm body. You made an ‘ouf’ noise as you were almost knocked off your feet for the second time in five minutes. You looked to the figure wrapped around your legs to see a familiar mop of brown hair. Your mind momentarily went back to the dream last night before you pulled yourself back to the present.

“Well hey there kiddo! Didn’t think I’d be seeing you today!” They looked up at you with a wide grin.

“I SEE YOU HAVE ALREADY MET MY SMALLER HUMAN FRIEND!” Most of the people in the room gave you confused looks.

“How do you know each other?” Undyne asked. Frisk quickly signed something to Undyne. She looked from the kid to you, and repeated the action a few times before giving you a grin.

“So you’re the kid’s soon-to-be dance teacher that they won’t shut up about.” You blushed slightly as the kid gave a big affirmative nod.

“I- uh. I suppose I am.” You looked over to where you knew the skeleton brother at, and made you way to them before Undyne could question you more.

“YOU’RE GOING TO TEACH FRISK TO DANCE?” You nodded.

“I’m gonna try my best.”

“THAT’S WONDERFUL! YOU ARE A GREAT TEACHER! NOT THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL EVER NEED A TEACHER! NYEH-HE-HE!” You smiled, and looked to Sans. You could feel that he was staring at you again. When your eyes reached his, he quickly averted his gaze. Real smooth. You sat yourself between the two, and looked over at the two monsters on the other couch. You directed your attention to Alphys.

“What anime is she from?” You nodded your head towards her shirt.

“I-it’s fr-fr-from an anime c-called Mew Mew Kissy Cutie. Have you h-heard of it?” You shook your head. “D-do you like anime?” You shrugged your shoulders.

“Yeah. I haven’t watched any in awhile, though. I haven’t really watched that many, either.” She nodded at you and pulled herself out of her shirt slightly.

“Y-you should watch it sometime! It’s really good! The main character has this super cool power where-” You chuckled slightly at the speed of her words, and she stopped with a blush forming on her face.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh. It’s just cool that you’re so passionate about it. I have a few things like that that I can go on and on about, too.” You gave her a big grin. She gave you a shy smile, and Undyne put her arm around the smaller monster. You couldn’t help but think that those two were very cute together.

A kind voice pulled the group from the conversation. “I apologize for taking so long! I wanted to get the pie in the oven so that it would be cool enough to eat with lunch.” You looked behind you to see Toriel’s figure taking up most of the doorway. Geez, you never realized how big monsters were. The only one you knew for sure was shorter than you was Alphys. Sans seemed about you height, but the rest of them... The rest of them seemed to be at least a head taller than you. You craned your head to look up at the woman. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of you.

“(Y/N)! I did not know that you were the human that Sans and Papyrus lived with! What a pleasant surprise!” She walked over to the group. “I would like to thank you again for what you did for me and Frisk.” Said kid leaned over the armrest on Sans’ side and gave you a grin with two thumbs up. You smiled and rubbed the back of your head.

“No problem. I’d do it again if I was given the chance.” Sans looked from you to the kid, and something seemed to click in his head. A look of realization crossed his features. He looked to Frisk with a relaxed smile before looking at you on the other side of him. He gave you a nod, and looked back to Toriel.

“ _pie_ would like to thank you for lettin’ us over, tori.” You smirked at the pun. Toriel gave a soft snort.

“I only did it _bake_ -cause I wanted company.” There were two distinct groans in the room.

You grinned and cleared your throat, “Are you saying that you would have _desserted_ us if you didn’t want company?” The two brothers looked at you with very different looks. Sans had given you a mischievous smirk, and Papyrus gave you a betrayed look. You hid your chuckles behind your hand. Your eyes wandered around the room, taking a moment to examine each person in the room.

You wouldn’t mind being around these people more often.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look! A chapter!!
> 
> Sans may finally be warming up to reader, if only slightly. Don't worry, We'll get a reader/sans bonding chapter next! Also, Guess what? Our first glimpse at AU's! I get the feeling that you all know who reader met in her dreams!! ;)
> 
> Alright, so I know that this story may have a few spelling and grammar errors, and I try my best to go back through and fix them. Apparently, I'm not fantastic at the editing. I'll get better though!! Just understand that I am doing this alone and on mobile, so it's a bit difficult for me. Therefore, I really appriciate it when you guys point things like that out to me, so I can fix them as soon as I can! Thank you for understanding!!
> 
> ALSO: HOLY butts??!!??!?!? So many of you like my story?!?! I'm honestly a bit surprised this story has any traction right now, especially this early on. It was kind-of made as a super self indulgent project, hence the lack of editing. I'm glad that so many of you enjoy my story!!
> 
> Here's a tumblr if you wanna stop by:  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lost-immortality
> 
> Sorry for the longer note. Catch you guys next update!!


	8. Late Night Hangout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You can't seem to sleep. Apparently, neither can someone else. Alternatively, Papyrus continues to be the light of your life.

The cold air of your fridge hit your face as you put the leftover pie that Toriel gave you into it. You smiled and turned to leave, closing the fridge door with your foot as you spun around. You smiled as you thought about the day. The group of friends and yourself had spent the whole day together. You had just gotten home with the brothers, and it was already past nine. All of you had gotten ready for bed as soon as you had been back.

You had heard both of your housemates go upstairs already, but you weren't sure you were ready to go to sleep yet. Memories from your last dream crossed your mind. Maybe you could watch a movie before bed? You decided that yes, a movie did sound like a good idea. You made your way to the living room and leaned down to see the shelf next to your T.V. Because you wanted to watch something familiar, you pulled an older DVD from the shelf and put that on. You fell back onto the couch and wrapped yourself in a blanket, eyes fixed on the screen. You smiled at the beginning of the movie, the familiar theme song playing as the main character arrived to the park. You settled into the couch, sitting up just enough to keep you awake. One movie had, of course, turned into the whole collection.

You were just about to put the latest installment of the series into the DVD player when you heard a loud thud above your head. You stopped moving, looking up to the ceiling in silence for a few seconds. When nothing else happened, you looked back to the T.V. You sighed and stood up. Maybe three movies was enough. Sleep was very important, after all. With a soft click, the T.V. Was turned off, and you were left in darkness. Confident that you could get back to your room without running into anything, you slowly made your way to the doorway. You were stopped promptly by another body hitting your own.

You jumped back a bit in surprise and reached out to find the lightswitch that you knew to be on the wall next to the doorway. After blinking a bit at the sudden brightness, you relaxed. It was just Sans. He seemed just as surprised as you had been. You looked him over. He looked tired. Well, more tired than usual, anyways. There were dark shadows under his eyes, and what looked to be sweat beading along his head. You briefly wondered how either of those things worked, but summed it up to magic. You noted that he had taken off his jacket, as well. His tee-shirt looked disheveled, and he looked much smaller without the blue layer he always seemed to wear.

“You look like the dead.” Honesty seemed to be the best policy with him. Well, honesty and bad jokes. Extra points if they were the same thing. He gave you a weak chuckle in response.

“what’re you doin’ out here?”

“Couldn’t sleep. By the looks of it, you had the same problem?”

The lights in his eyes moved to the floor, “somethin’ like that.”

You nodded and stood in front of him, rocking on your heels in thought. You were suddenly struck with an idea. You gave him a smile and began to walk past him, catching his wrist as you went by.

“Follow me.” He seemed a bit reluctant, but followed anyways as you quickly led him up to your room. After pulling him inside, you let go of his arm and rushed over to your bed. You yanked off the blanket and draped it over your shoulders. You stopped for a second.

“Wait there for a second.” You had almost forgotten! You ran back downstairs to the kitchen, quickly making some hot chocolate. Once you had two mugs, you made your way back upstairs, being careful not to spill any. You opened your door to see that Sans had moved over to your bed, seemingly lost in thought.

“You shouldn’t stay in your thoughts like that for too long. The more lost you get, the harder it can be to find your way back.” You handed him a mug. He took it, looking up at you curiously. You flicked your head towards the door to your balcony.

“C’mon, then.” He followed you outside, and you gestured to the ladder. He gave you a strange look. You sighed and climbed it, turning around once you had pulled yourself onto the roof. He slowly followed after you. As soon as he reached the top, you pulled him up and excitedly made your way over to you spot and sat down. He was staring at you. You rolled your eyes at him with a smile and patted the spot next to you. He never took his eyes off of you as he approached. He dropped himself next to you, still not taking his eyes off of you. To break the silence, you began sipping your drink loudly. He seemed less tense. That was good.

You Relaxed and looked away from the skeleton. The sky was glorious, as per usual. From the corner of your eye, you saw Sans follow your gaze. An almost inaudible gasp escaped from him. You both sat and stared into the stars until you broke the silence once again.

“I come up here a lot to think. It’s my favorite part of the house. Everything about it is just so… nice. I feel like it lets me escape from real life. Sometimes distractions can really help, ya know?” He tore his gaze from the sky to see you resting your head on your knee, your arm hugging it to your chest. You had a melancholy look in your eyes. Noticing his staring, you glanced over at him and gave him a soft smile. You pulled you leg away and tucked it underneath you. Your eyes moved back you the sky. He swiftly followed. Your eyes scanned the horizon. The only mountain for miles stood tall against the forest that surrounded it.

“Do you miss it? Ebott, I mean. I know you were all so excited to come up from the underground, but you lived there for so long before. Wasn’t it your home?”  
You looked over to Sans, who seemed to be looking for a response.

“course i do, sometimes. we all had a lot of memories in that place. but if you’re trapped somewhere, can you really call it home?” You nodded in understanding. You knew how that felt. Being trapped was the worst thing that anyone would have to endure. You really sympathized with the monsters in that way.

“we didn’t have stars underground. we had this area with rocks that looked sorta like stars but… they were nothing compared to this. this is…”

“It’s breathtaking. Stars are a funny thing. They’re one of the prettiest things earth has to offer, and yet… so many people take them for granted. I’ve never understood that. Whenever I look at the stars, it just… it gives me hope.”

He let out a bitter laugh, “never really had much of that. ‘specially nowadays.” You made a hum of acknowledgement, but didn’t speak anymore on the subject. You looked over at the skeleton. You noticed a slight glint of blue coming from his eye sockets despite the content look on his face. He was crying. You nudged him slightly to get his attention. He looked over to you.

“If you ever need someone to talk to, I'll be here.” You punctuated the statement with a smile. He didn’t say anything for a few seconds. He looked back to the sky.

“thanks. for this, for being so nice to us, for everything.” You pulled the blanket tighter around you and set down the now empty cup.

“Any time.”

You both sat up there for another few minutes before you stood up, grabbing your cup. “Feel free to stay out here as long as you’d like.” You begin making your way back down the ladder.

“Night, Sans.”

“g’night, (Y/N).”

  
_______________________

You yawned and sat up after a dreamless sleep. A glance at your phone told you that you had slept in, but not as late as you thought you would have. There may even still be time for brunch! With that thought, you made your way downstairs. Papyrus, unsurprisingly, was already up. He stood in your foyer in an outfit that you had never seen him in.

“Are you wearing exercise clothes?”

“AH! GOOD MORNING, MISS (Y/N)! I HAVE JUST COME BACK FROM MY MORNING JOG!”

“Ah, I see. I knew there must have been a reason for the outfit.” The phrase ‘JOG BOY’ sharpied onto his crop-top made perfect sense, then. “I like your shirt very much.”

His eyes seemed to light up. “WOWIE! A GENUINE COMPLIMENT! I HAVE MANY SHIRTS OF THIS HIGH CALIBER! IF YOU WOULD LIKE, I COULD EVEN MAKE ONE FOR YOU!”

“Really? You would do that for me?”

“OF COURSE I WOULD! YOU ARE THE COOLEST HUMAN, AFTER ALL. YOU DESERVE ONLY THE MOST STYLISH OF PAPYRUS SHIRTS!” You giggled.

“I would love that, Paps.” He nodded, and rushed off to his room. Oh. He meant he would make one now. Well then.  
You shook your head and made your way to the kitchen, which at this point seemed to be your most visited room in the house. After entering, your attention was immediately turned to the skeleton that sat on one of the bar stools.

“You’re up earlier than I thought you’d be. You want a coffee or something?” He shook his head.

“i’ve been _beaning_ to ask you something.” You smirked and nodded.

“How can I help you?”

“would you mind takin’ that watch to the lab today?”

Oh, right. He had told you he knew someone who might be able to help. You assumed the person was Alphys. Yesterday, her girlfriend had told you that she had been the royal scientist.

“Alphys, yeah? She has a lab?” He nodded.

“‘s back underground, though.” Your eyes widened, and you broke into a grin.

“Will I get to see the underground?” After he gave you another nod, you shot off a list of questions. “Really? How far into the underground is it? Is it easy to get to? How are we gonna get there? I heard that the king’s castle is right behind where the barrier was. Are we gonna go through there? You want me to drive?” You took a breath as he held up a hand.

“don’t worry about it. i know a shortcut.” You gave him a look.

“Vague… but alright. I guess I’ll go get ready, then.” You hesitantly stood up.

He gave you a grin and waved you away. You rushed up to your room, almost plowing into Papyrus on the way. You used your running momentum to spin around him instead of colliding with the tall skeleton. He blinked at you a few times before holding something out to you.

“AH! THAT WAS A VERY COOL SPIN!” You took the fabric from his hands. “THIS SHIRT WAS EXPERTLY CRAFTED BY YOURS TRULY! I DO HOPE YOU LIKE IT!” You smiled and held up the shirt. It was a white shirt that you knew just by looking at it would show midriff. ‘COOL DUDE-ETTE’ was written on it in what you recognized to be the papyrus font. You snorted and looked up at the skeleton.

“This… is probably the best present I’ve ever gotten. And it’s not even my birthday! Thanks! It’s super cool.” He gave you a confident smile, but you could see the tinting of orange along his cheekbones.

“OF COURSE IT IS! I MADE IT!” You giggled and pulled the shirt to your chest. You gave Papyrus a nod before heading up to your room. You were definitely wearing this today.

You got ready for the day, pulling the shirt over your head, unsurprised to find that it ended just above your belly button. You pulled on your favorite pair of jeans. What was the weather like in the underground? Recalling that one of the brothers had mentioned something about a place called Snowdin, you assumed it might be a bit cold. You didn’t know much about monster culture, but you did know that the king was notoriously bad at naming things. You pulled an infinity scarf over your head, and threw a coat over the outfit, buttoning it to the top. You decided on a pair of cute heeled booties that had been on of the last things you had unpacked. You gave yourself a smile in the mirror, and shot a finger gun at it as you walked away.

You walked down to the foyer where the brothers were talking animatedly. Well, one brother was. You think Sans was just saying the word ‘okay’ to everything that Paps was saying. You smiled and waved to them from the top of the stairs.

“I’m ready to go.” You looked over at Papyrus. “You coming, too?” He shook his head.

“I’M AFRAID I WILL BE SITTING THIS ONE OUT. BUT YOU TO HAVE FUN DOING… WHATEVER IT IS YOU ARE DOING!” You nodded grinned at the two. You happily slid down the banister to reach the pair.

“Alright, then. How are we gonna get there, Sans?” He grinned at you and held out his hand. You gave him a curious look, but took his hand anyways.

“magic.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You get along!!! Finally!!! Also, boy howdy did dear sweet reader wear the wrong clothes for the area. Or... maybe she didn't? ;) Prepare for to start finding out what the deal with the watch is next chapter. AND!! You and Papyrus are matching and he remains adorable. 
> 
> There's an arts for this chapter!!! I'll add art occasionally, when I feel like it's a good moment. (Or I just feel inspired to do a drawing.) 
> 
> Also: 10 points to whoever can guess what movies reader was watching. (They're some of my favorites... or at least the first one is.)
> 
> Questions? Comments? Concerns? Here's a tumblr to address any of those! (Also theories. I want to know your theories!!)
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lost-immortality


	9. A Lesson in Clockworks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You learn a bit about souls and that silly watch you've had sitting around. You are also super amazed by magic.

Sans put his hand out towards you. You gave him a look. He had his default grin on his face. You spared a glance to Papyrus, who was giving you his usual doofy grin. Meeting your gaze, he gave you a wave. You looked back at Sans and slowly reached your hand out.

“don’t think about it too much. oh, and it helps if you close your eyes.” You scrunched your nose in confusion. His grin grew, and you briefly saw his eye flash a light blue color.

Suddenly, You couldn’t see Sans, though you could still feel his hand gripping yours tightly. . Everything was dark. No, it was beyond just dark. It was void of any light. After the dark, you noticed the temperature. It was freezing. No light, no heat… what a charming place.

The light coming back not a moment later left you more disoriented than you had ever been in your life. You held your head in your hands as you felt the room spin. Sans remained close to you, and you could feel his hands at your sides, just in case you fell. You took a deep breath and pulled your head up, blinking off the dizziness. You… didn’t recognize this place.

“Where… are we? How did…”

Then it hit you. You turned to Sans with a wide eyed stare, “HOLY SHIT!” He seemed surprised at the volume. “You… I- I can’t believe… I mean... Sans.” He had stuffed his hands in his pockets, and seemed to shrink into his jacket. His eyes darted nervously around the room. Your hands wrapped around the tops of his arms, pulling eyelights to you.

“Did we just. Teleport.” You shook him slightly. “Sans! You teleported! And I did, too!” You let him go and did a little happy wiggle. “That’s the coolest thing that's ever happened to me! How long have you been able to do that?”  
His posture went more relaxed. A shrug was your only response .

“How does it work?” Before he could answer, You gave him a light hearted glare. “And don’t you dare say magic. There’s gotta be some kind of quantum physics bullshit that lets that happen.” His grin widened.

“well, you just answered your own question. it works because of some kind of quantum physics bullshit.”

You frowned and shook your head. You would let him have his secrets. “Fine. But you’re telling me how it works later.” You turned away from him and looked over the area. It was definitely some kind of lab. There were various science-y looking tools, only some of which you knew the function of.

“So, is Alphys here? I thought she was gonna look it over.” Sans nodded.

“yeah. she’s gonna help me look it over.”

“Help you…?” You tilted your head at him. He gave you a shrug.

“hey, a guy’s gotta have a hobby.”

“I guess… how much of a hobby is it?” He shrugged, but you could see a bashful look on his face. Oh, it was more than a hobby. You decided to pester him later about it, though.Your attention was directed to the door as it slid open. A familiar yellow monster made her way into the room.

“Hey there, Doc!” You waved. She gave you a shy smile.

“H-hi, (Y/N).”

“So,” you pulled the watch out of your pocket, “ I’m here because of this thing? What is it and why do I have it?” Her eyes focused on the object.

“I’m n-not sure if I can answer the second question, B-b-but I’ll do my best to answer the f-first.” You nodded and handed her the watch. She flipped it over in her hands a few times.

“Huh.” Was that a good ‘huh’ or a bad one? She moved over to a desk and pulled some kind of tool over the watch.

“Sans, c-come look at this.” Said skeleton moved over to her side.

“huh.” How insightful.They began talking quickly in low tones. You shifted your weight between sides, awkwardly fiddling with your purple scarf. You rolled on your feet once. Twice. Three times.

“So, am I included in this conversation, or…?”

“do you happen to have a degree in some kind of,” He made air quotes, “quantum physics bullshit?” You crossed your arms and made a defiant face at him.

“Well no, but I have a degree in-”

“you wouldn’t get it.”

“Do you have a degree in quantum physics then, wise guy?” He looked back at you with a smug grin.

“a phd, actually.” Your witty remark fell flat as you processed what he had said. That was pretty impressive, you supposed, but you were still a bit bitter.

“Fine. I’ll let you two nerd it up, I guess.Yell for me when you figure it out.” As they both turned back to the trinket, You wandered off. Once you found a comfortable chair in a corner, you planted yourself. The longer you stared at the white walls, the more your mind began to wander.

Did monsters have schools underground? Sans was a pretty mysterious guy, and you could tell by the way he analyzed everything that he was fairly smart. But man, your studies couldn’t hold a candle to quantum physics… Now you knew something about Sans’ past. You must have gone up to level two friend if you were starting to unlock backstory. You giggled a bit at the thought. Your giggle faded off into a sigh as you spun in the chair. How long would you be here? You pulled out your phone.

 **To: Paprika**  
**Hey, are you busy?**

_**Paprika:  
WHY? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?** _

_**To: Paprika  
No, I'm dying of boredom.** _

_**Paprika:  
IS THAT A THING HUMANS CAN ACTUALLY DO?** _

_**To: Paprika  
No** _

_**Paprika:  
OH.** _

_**To: Paprika  
What are your plans for the day?** _

_**Paprika:  
I WAS PLANNING ON REARRANGING MY ROOM! IT NEEDS A COOLER LOOK.** _

_**To: Paprika  
You're right. You need something that screams ‘papyrus’. I’m sure it'll be great.** _

You and Papyrus continued to trade messages for a few minutes before you heard your name being called. You stuffed your phone back into your pocket and made your way back to the room that the science nerds were in. They remained at the desk, Sans facing the doorway and Alphys furiously scribbling something on a notepad.

“So do you know what the magic watch thingy does?”  
Sans pushed a desk chair to you. The chair creaked as you sat in it. You rolled over to Sans as he held out the watch for you.

“hope you didn’t have any plans. this’ll be a long one.” You groaned and made yourself comfortable.

“Alright, lay it on me, skele-man. What're we working with here?”

“so, this watch is magical. i can tell you a bit about the soul part of it, but mechanics are more alphys’ thing.” Yes, you knew that first part already. He continued, “it’s magically imprinted onto your soul. i’ve only actually seen this happen a handful of times, so bear with me here. sometimes, an object can latch onto the magic in a soul. it uses the core trait of the soul to give it some kind of power or ability.”

“Core soul trait? What’s that?” He sighed slightly.

“you’re worse than a first grader,” He complained before continuing with his explination, “a soul usually has one core trait. the easiest way to tell what the trait is on a human is to see the physical soul. it’ll have a color that correlates with the trait.” You gave him a slightly confused look, but you were starting to understand.

“alright, let’s take frisk for example. the kid’s soul is red, which means that their core trait is determination. a green soul is kindness, a light blue soul is patience, orange is bravery, so on.” You nodded.

“So souls can manifest? What color’s mine?”

He narrowed his eyes at you a bit and his eyes scanned your form, “donno. i can't get a read on your soul, but at this point, i don’t think you’re blocking it on purpose.” Was he implying that he was normally able to see souls?

“Well how do I make it… not blocked? Can’t I just, I donno? Pull it out or something?” His face immediately flushed a bright blue. You heard Alphys begin choking at her desk.

“woah, (Y/N). you can’t just pull out a soul. outside of battles, souls are usually considered pretty intimate.” Now it was your turn to blush.

“Oh, shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t-”

“yeah, i know. ‘s fine.” You all stood in awkward silence for a few seconds before Sans continued, “now, the fact that it attached to you is odd. usually, items can only do that with beings that have some kind of magic. i know some humans have magic, but i don’t think you have any.”

You began to pout at the thought of not getting super cool powers. You weren't even aware magic existed in humans until a few seconds ago, but you had still gotten your hopes up.

“Th-that’s not to say you don't have the potential for magic. Anyone c-can have the potential.” And your hopes were restored. Thank you, small yellow lizard. You looked over at her.

“Th-th-the watch itself is actually really intricate, a-and not ju-just design wise. It h-has a lot of uses, despite it’s l-little size. I cant s-seem to figure out what its main p-purpose is, but it acts a bit like a phone. But it’s o-odd. It’s got a bunch of e-e-extra stuff that doesn't seem to have a use. I don’t even know what the use would b-be, if it has one.” She moved over to you and you held the watch out so that you could both look at the faces. “The screen is some kind of projection technology, but that’s one of the only th-things I know for s-sure. I’m n-not really s-s-sure without taking it apart or messing with the buttons, b-but because I don’t know what it does…” You nodded and pointed to the buttons around the screen.

“Any idea what any of the buttons do?”

“A-actually, yes! In the scan, I noticed that these,” She pointed to a few buttons along the top edge of the screen, “are to control a d-dimensional box.” Your eyes met hers.

“Dimensional box?” She nodded and pressed the button. A small hologram projected from the screen. About 10 empty cubes hovered around in a circle.

“Woah. What does it-” Sans shoved something in your hand. You almost dropped the object with a rubbery texture, but tightened you hold on it. The red whoopee cushion in your hand only added to your confusion.

“Wha- I don’t…?”

“just put it in the box.” Put it in the box? But they were so small. You shrugged and went along with it. Trying to force the red object into the box resulted in a strange noise. The cushion was pulled from your grip and sucked into the box it had been touching. You let out a surprised gasp. In the box’s place was a small image of a whoopee cushion. Magic was so cool. You gaped for a few seconds at the hologram.

“So, now it’s just… in there? How do I get it back out?”

“Just p-pull it back out.” Alphys explained. You reached for the little icon and tried pinching it with your fingers. Nothing happened. A deep snort sounded from beside you. You shot a playful glare at the offending skeleton.

“not like that.” He made gesture at you, showing you the movement. You looked back at the icon. You touched your finger to the box and flicked it upwards. The Whoopee cushion materialized from the box and was launched above the watch. You caught it in your unoccupied hand. You were sure that if your eyes could physically have stars, they would. You handed the item back to Sans but he shook his head.

“keep it.” You grinned and shoved it back into the box.

“That’s the o-only button that I know for sure what it does. The watch seems to have s-some kind of communication features, but I don't k-know how they w-w-work.”

You nodded, a large grin on your face, “What about the keypad?” You pointed the the face opposite to the screen and it’s buttons. “Those seem like they could be to some kind of phone. Maybe?”

“Well, yes and no. They do have numbers on them, l-like a phone would, but they seem to b-be for something else, a-as well.”

“Hm… And there’s no way to know what it does? Other than the box thing, of course.”

“N-no. Not without pulling it apart or pressing things.” You made a noise of acknowledgement and studied the watch. As you thought, you ran your thumb along the crystal hearts on the outside of the keypad in a circular motion. As you pulled your thumb away, you felt a shock of something almost electrical, but not quite. You jumped a bit at the sensation. Suddenly, you were hit with a harsh dizziness.

“Woah, what-” You felt the sensation again, but it was much stronger. A yelp escaped your mouth at the feeling. It wasn’t painful, but it was… odd. You looked back down at the trinket to see a string of numbers crossing the glass screen rapidly.

“whoa, hey. you alright there? you look-” You didn’t get to hear the end of his sentence as your eyes were greeted by the same endless white that you had seen in your dream. You didn’t have any time to process the area before you were thrust into a new place.

 

Snow crunched under your heels as they met the ground. You quickly regained your bearings. Well, you were glad you had decided to wear a warm outfit. You may have not have had any idea where you were, but at least you wouldn’t freeze to death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the story begins. 
> 
> Don't worry, you're going on an adventure!
> 
> My Tumblr:
> 
>  https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lost-immortality
> 
> See you all next update!!


	10. Hitchhiker's Guide to Alternate Univeses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have no clue where you are, but at least you're not panicking.

Don’t panic. Don’t panic. _Don't panic_. You took a deep breath and scanned your surroundings, shoving the watch in your coat pocket as you did. It looked like you had found yourself in some kind of snowy forest. Snow? In September? Where were you? Had you ended up somewhere else in the underground?

Your eyes followed the path forward. At the end of it was a bridge that stood over a large ravine. You looked back behind you. There was a daunting looking purple door that seemed much too big to push open by yourself. Despite that, the snow in front of it made it look like it had been opened recently. You decided the bridge was a better option.

The snow beneath your feet crunched lightly as you trekked towards the crossing. You passed over it with no problem, making sure to steer clear of the edges. Immediately After the bridge was a large clearing. A lone stand of some sort sat in the middle of it. You cautiously made your way to it. You peeked over the counter to see an empty chair. You leaned over to see that the underside of the counter held several bottles of condiments. It was a hotdog stand, then? Odd.You took a few steps away from the stand to get back to path, where you sunk into the snow significantly less.

You investigated the area looking for any signs of life before moving on from the clearing. It was strangely silent as you made your way through the trees. The path continued on for a bit before coming to a branching. You could go north or you could continue forward. You looked north, contemplating the direction before something ahead of you caught your attention. You squinted at the shape in front of you. It was just a dark silhouette against the white snow. You took a few steps closer before seeing a slight movement to the object.

You froze. You weren’t an idiot, you were not going to call out to a moving thing in a place where you had never been before. So, you decided to make your way closer as quietly as you could manage. As you got closer, you saw that the movement came from behind an open chest. As you were about to reach the edge of it, the lid suddenly shut, leaving you staring into wide eyes.

“Um… Who are you?” The kid gave you an odd look when your only reply was a continued stare.  
It was just… odd. This kid looked just like a slightly older version of Frisk. They had the same messy brown hair, although slightly longer and messier. They had the same big brown eyes that had that determined spark in them. Hell, they were even wearing that same striped sweater. You blinked out of your stupor.

“Frisk?” They stood up from the crouching position they were in and took a step away from you.

“Yes… but how did you know that?” You groaned at the answer and held your head in your hands. This was going to be a long day, you could already tell.

“Where am I?”

“The Underground. How did you get here? You weren’t here last time.” The way they said that made you feel odd. They had a small grimace on their face that was almost unnoticed by you. Almost.

“Last time?” They looked down at their feet.

“I… made a mistake. Now, I’m back to fix it.” You gave the kid a hesitant nod.

“Sure. I… don't think… that I should be here. I would ask if you knew how to get back, but… i don’t know what back means right now.” They nodded and looked you up and down.

“You seem pretty… clean. Have you met any of the monsters yet?” Okay, so ‘Frisk’ and monsters were still here, but it... wasn’t quite the same.

“Yeah. A few of them.” They began walking, and you followed behind. They stopped and turned to you, looking you dead in the eye.

“And did you hurt them?”

“What? No! Why would I do that?” Now it was their turn to give you an odd look.

“They… didn’t try to hurt you?” You shook your head.

“No?” You thought for a second, “Why? Did someone try to hurt you?” They seemed surprised at this.

“Who did you meet?” You ignored the question to scan the kid for injuries. Nope, they seemed fairly okay. You took a deep breath. You weren’t sure who this kid had come across, but you hadn’t know monsters to be violent. You hesitated, a thought coming to mind.

“How many monsters are still in the underground?”

“Um? All of them?”

Where were you? Was this some kind of alternate dimension? … You think you were starting to get a headache.

“So, let me get this straight. Monsters are still in the underground. Like, the barrier never broke?” They nodded.

“So… how do you break the barrier?” Frisk shrugged.

“But you did… no, i guess not. Never mind.” They tilted their head at you.

“I do know that the monsters are really close to breaking it. They only need one more soul. Or so I’ve been told.” They needed souls to break the barrier? How many? Could people just give the souls or did they have to… You shook your head. No time for those kinds of thoughts. You needed to find your way back home. You continued forward, Frisk by your side.

“Do you know this area well?” They nodded and pointed forward.

“If we keep going this way, we’ll eventually reach Snowdin, which is a little town.” You nodded, a spark of recognition hitting you at the town’s name.

“Right. Let’s go there, then. Seems like he best way to get where we’re going.”

They slowed slightly and began tugging at the sleeves of the sweate, “And… and what if I don’t know where I’m going?” You looked back at the kid, a wave of sympathy crashing over you at the sight of them.

“You’ll figure it out. I’m sure of it. Just do what makes you happy, kid.” They seemed to ponder it a bit before catching up to you. You walked in silence for a few minutes before you had to ask a question that had been bothering you for a while.

“Where is everyone?” They seemed to remember something and winced. The scrunched up look was quickly followed by a nervous glance around.

“They’re probably avoiding the royal guard. They patrol here, and this is usually where the Captain is stationed. Most monsters are afraid of him. I get it though… he can be pretty… harsh.” They grimaced at the word harsh. You nodded at the explanation, letting you attention wander to your surroundings. This place seemed like it was more dangerous than you were expecting. And now, well now you had someone that you wanted to keep safe. You looked down at the kid. They seemed to notice your gaze and tilted their head up to you. They thought for a moment before speaking.

“I want to save them.” You waited for them to continue. “I know that they’ve done some bad things, but… I can’t really blame them. They’ve all been through so much.” They paused and seemed deep in thought. “I tried fighting back once, but… it wasn't what I wanted.” You smiled down at them.

“Hey, it’s fine. Sometimes it can be hard to figure out the right thing to do. You shouldn’t let past mistakes define you.” You looked back to the path in front of you and slowed to a stop.

That was… a lot of spikes. Frisk noticed your hesitation and nudged you slightly, “It’s a puzzle. Monsters make them to slow people down. They say it’s like a combination of a trap and a door key.” You nodded at the explanation.

“You know how to solve it?” They nodded and wandered over to a few odd rows of rocks. The walked in between them in a certain order before stepping on a button on the ground.

You nodded at them, “Nice.” They grinned.

“That one was easy.” You smirked at their confidence.

“Sure looked like it.” You followed them past the spikes, which were now retracted back into the ground.

“I know someone back home who really likes puzzles. He’s pretty cool.” They snickered. You looked down at their smug face as they wiggled their eyebrows at you. You playfully shoved them.

“Hush, you. If you knew him, you’d agree.” They grinned up at you.  
“Maybe I will someday.” You gave them a nod.

You turned back to the path, continuing down it quietly. You took the time to look around you. There weren’t as many trees around as where you started, but you did notice an increase of discolored areas in the snow. You examined one as you passed. It looked like some kind of grey dust. You shrugged it off and continued down the path. Both you and your traveling companion were diligently scanning the area ahead of you. You were so focused that you almost hadn’t noticed the crunch of snow behind you. You froze and pulled Frisk’s arm into your grip. You looked behind you see nothing out of the ordinary. Despite not seeming anything, you felt an odd pressure in the air that was not there before. Frisk followed your gaze curiously. After a few seconds of scanning the tree line, you slowly turned back to the path in front of you. You were eye level with black sockets.

You jumped a bit and took a step back from the skeleton, pulling Frisk with you. You quickly scanned the being, coming to a conclusion that you had already come to once. This guy looked eerily familiar. He had his hands stuffed into the pockets of his heavy looking black hoodie. His posture seemed a bit tense, and his eyes were focused souls on you. You took note of his teeth, which were much sharper than you recall. You also don’t remember you Sans having a gold tooth. In place of the lazy grin you were used to was a condescending smirk.  
“looks like i scared ya right out of your skin, eh?” Yup, there was no doubt in your mind now. Despite the deeper growl to his voice, this was Sans. Somehow.

“Well, I can’t tell you a fibula, I did jump a little.” His smirk dropped slightly before coming back.

“whateva you say, doll.” You let your grip loosen on the kids arm. Frisk looked up at the skeleton. He met their gaze with an angry look.

“who’s she, n’ what’s she doin’ here?” Frisk shrugged at his question.

“No clue. But she’s nice. I trust her.” He narrowed his eyes at the kid.

“that don’t mean a lot comin’ from you, brat. ‘specially after the stunt you pulled last time.” You could practically feel the gilt radiating off of them as he said that. You put your arm on Frisk’s shoulder.

“ _She_ has a name, you know. I can also speak for myself.” He slouched back and turned around.

“don’t care about your name, doll. not like you’ll be here for long.” He looked back at Frisk as he said the last sentence. The seemed to pull themselves further into the blue and purple sweater. You frowned at the two. He began walking away, pulling his hand out of his pocket and gesturing for you to follow lazily. You and Frisk exchanged a look and followed behind him.

“Hey, Sans?” He froze. His eyes slowly met yours as his tense posture came back. What had you… _Oh shit_.

“how do you know that?” You mentally cursed at the stupid mistake.

“I… Well…” Before you could conjure a story in your head, he held up a hand.

“just.” He sighed and clenched his fist. “just tell me what you’re doin’ here when we get where we’re goin’, kay?” You nodded, and followed as he began walking again. Your thoughts began trailing off as you were led somewhere by edgy Sans.

...Okay, that wasn’t going to work. You had to call him something other than ‘edgy Sans’. You made it your mission to come up with a fitting nickname for the skeleton as you continued through the snow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And in comes Red. (He's just bitter about resets. And in general.) How will dear, sweet reader get home? Also, Underfell Frisk done goofed, but not 100%. You'll learn a bit more about the timelines next chapter (Probably). 
> 
> This one's a bit shorter, sorry. But man, are things really ...happening. Drop a theory in the comments if you'd like. I do love reading them. Speaking of comments, thank you all for yours! You guys are a bunch of sweethearts, and absolutely brighten my day! 
> 
> As per usual, see you next update!


	11. An Ability and a Front

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red guides you to his house, but you get intercepted. You also learn a few things.

The walk became silent after the last conversation, each person lost in their own thoughts. There were several traps that you bypassed on your way that seemed like they were much too dangerous for a kid like Frisk. You attention turned to what you had assumed to be the sky when you felt a flake of snow land on your nose. A layer of deep grey sat above you. You were momentarily confused at the weather patterns of a cave. It was a very large cave, but a cave none the less, and you couldn’t help but wonder how it worked. It was probably magic.

Thinking about the underground reminded you that, while this was a version of the underground, it was not your underground. Was this underground similar to your own? You looked over at the alternate versions of people you had known before. There were differences, of course, but to what extent? And why? What caused this universe to be different from yours? Frisk seemed to have hinted that monsters are more violent in this universe, but you hadn’t really met enough to be able to tell. Sure, you had met the Sans from this universe, but… The Sans you had known had taken a while to even _tolerate_ you. Needless to say that he wasn’t exactly the best to use for a comparison. Said skeleton began slowing his pace.

“we’re comin’ up on snowdin.” Sans had pulled his hands out of his pockets and pulled himself into a more intimidating stance. When not slouching, it seemed that he was taller than you by about an inch or two. His straight face dropped into a scowl as he turned to you.

“yer gonna wanna keep your head down, doll. townsfolk don’t take well to strangers… and if they knew you’re human, well… don't let them know.” You nodded and stepped closer to Frisk. They looked up at you with a slight smirk.

“You don’t have to worry about me, miss. I’ve been here before. I know how to handle them.” At the glare Sans shot them, the kid continued. “I know how to handle them without anyone getting hurt.” You heard him scoff as he turned around and continued towards the town.

“whatever, brat. just stay close to me. both of you.” You nodded and hurried after the skeleton.

You only hesitated slightly to read the large sign at the beginning of the town that simply read ‘Snowdin’. Your eyes did a quick scan of the path ahead of you. There were several monsters around the town in front of you, all with the same black and red color scheme that Sans had. Even from where you stood, you could see that most of them wore threatening expressions. You buried yourself into your scarf and matched pace with the edgy skeleton. Frisk walked slightly behind the two of you, but you made sure to keep them in your peripheral vision. As you walked through the town, several of the monsters growled in your direction. Sans took it upon himself to growl right back when he felt they were being too aggressive. Some of them, however, took one look at your skeletal guard dog and decided it would be better to leave.

Now that you were closer, you could see that everything thing in the body language of these monsters screamed ‘hostile’. It made you a bit uncomfortable. You shoved your hands in your pockets and clenched your fists. Your eyes finding those of a rabbit monster who began approaching you little group with a confident walk, an irritatingly smug grin on her face.

“Ah, Sans. Back from your patrol so soon?” The annoying squeaky voice fit her well, you decided. She looked behind him exaggeratedly, “And with no brother? Is he aware of you leaving your post? You know he’ll be pissed when he finds out.” Her eyes fell on you and the kid who you had instinctively pulled closer.

“Who’re they? I don’t recognize them. Does your brother know you have them with you?” Sans scowled at her.

“mind your own business.” He snapped. She giggled into her hand.

“Oh, but my business is everyone else's. I make it my job to know everything that happens in our little town.” She took a step toward you and leaned closer than you were comfortable with. Hey eyes slowly scanned you over. She gave you a nod of approval and leaned back.

“You know, I was just gonna tell the boss about this, but I can keep our little encounter a secret on one condition.” She flicked an ear in you direction, “Gimme her.” Your eyes met hers and fell into a glare. You moved to speak, pulling yourself out of your coat. You could feel anger beginning to wave off of you. But a boney hand pulled you back as Sans stood in front of you.

“look, i know you think you’re important to Boss, bein’ his little rat n’ all, but yer not. now,” You could feel a heavy pressure in the air as he shoved his hands back into his pockets. “I suggest you move outta my way before I decide you ain’t worth the dust that yer made of.” An enraged expression crossed her face, and you watched as she pulled her hand back to strike at him. Your eyes widened, and your instincts reacted before your brain could. Your hand grasped at the thick fabric of his black hoodie as you pulled him back. The rabbit’s strike missed, and her gaze shot to you, a fiery rage twisting in her eyes. You stood up straight, meeting her stare with an unwavering confidence. You took a step towards her, letting go of the jacket in your grasp.

“Now, you’ve done a few things wrong in the last five minutes. Would you like me to tell you what the first mistake was?” She pulled back to strike at you, but her movements were slow. You could tell when she was going to hit. You had never realized how alike fighting and dancing were, but you could tell that your background in the art may give you an edge against her. She clawed at you, a slight glow around her hand that suggested that she was close to using some kind of magic. When you spun around her swing, she let out an undignified screech.

“I don't want to hear your lecture, you bitch!” You shook your head.

 

“That wasn’t very nice. Neither was demanding me as a bargaining chip. I don’t like being treated like a thing. I also don’t care for your attitude towards my friend.” She took a few steps back from you. As her hands began sparkling with magical energy, you glanced at the figures behind you. Frisk had a concerned expression on their face, and they looked about ready to jump into your confrontation at a moment's notice. Sans on the other hand, looked stunned. He was looking to you with wide eyes and a slight tilt to his head. You looked back at the rabbit with a slight scowl. She pushed her hand forward, an arrow of light arcing towards you. Your eyes widened slightly and you widened your stance to brace it. If you moved, it would hit whoever was behind you, after all. You raised your arms in front of you in order to help block the blow and prepared for it to hit…

...but nothing happened. You looked back up at the rabbit, only for your view to be blocked by the back of a large… floating… dragon-looking skull? You looked behind you in confusion. Sans stood directly at your side, holding a hand towards the rabbit. The usual pinpricks of light in his eyes had been replaced by an empty socket and a red glowing light. He glanced at your surprised face momentarily, before looking back at the rabbit with an intense stare.

“ **r u n** .”

She looked from him to the skull with wide, fearful eyes. And run she did.

Once she was out of sight, Sans put his hand down, the skull disappearing as he did so. He shoved his hands back into his pockets, his eyes returning to normal.

“ c’mon, then. almost there,” He began walking again and you stood in place, your wide eyes never leaving his back. What was that thing? He continued walking, but slowed when he didn’t hear footsteps behind him.

Frisk was standing at your side with a concerned expression as they looked up at you, “Are you okay?” You looked from them to Sans, and back again.

“What… was that thing?” Frisk chuckled nervously, hearing your almost silent question.

“It’s, uh. It’s called a Gaster Blaster.” You processed the information, a wide eyed look still on your face. Sans had completely stopped at this point, looking back at the two of you with a neutral expression.

“Blaster?” You looked over at Sans and gave him a big grin.

“Sans.” You paused dramatically and looked at him with a serious expression. He met your stare with an almost timid aura about him. His eyes immediately left yours, preferring the ground. “That was friggin’ cool.” He seemed a bit sunned at your words. He scoffed despite the red dusting his cheeks. Turning away from you, he pulled his hood over his head.

“whateva, let’s just go.” You chuckled slightly and caught up with him, “i wanna get you two outta my hair as soon as possible.”

“But you don’t have any hair, bone head,”.  You retaliated. The dusting along his cheeks increased to a deep cherry color.

“sh-shut up.”

“Whatever you say, Red.” He grumbled and continued to lead you to a two story house just ahead of you.

He brought you over to a side door and pulled a key from his pocket. Twisting it quickly in the lock, he pulled open the door and gestured you in. Frisk quickly stepped in, you following immediately after. Once you were all in the room, he swung the door shut. It looked like it was a small lab. There were various blueprints scattered over the table, and a large structure stood in the corner. A blanket covered it, but you could see a few metal parts from where the blanket didn’t quite meet the floor. Sans moved over to the opposite side of the room and sat on a rolling stool.

“alright. talk.” He looked over at Frisk. “you have a lot of explaining to do.” They nervously pulled at the hem of their jacket. Their gaze fell to the floor as they let out a sigh.

“I know… I know what I did was wrong. I know that. That’s why I didn’t… I stopped at Papyrus. I didn’t mean for- well, I didn’t think-” A humorless chuckle came from Sans.

“yeah, i know you didn’t think. you did a real shitty thing, kid. We were almost there. everyone could have been happy. but you just had to see what would happen.” Frisk seemed to be on the verge of tears at this point, but you didn’t intervene. You had no idea what they were talking about, and you felt it was not your place to interrupt.

“I’m trying to fix it, Sans. I’m really trying! I haven’t hurt anyone this time! I’ll get you and your brother to a happy ending this time, I promise!” Sans shook his head at the kid.

“don’t make promises you can’t keep, brat.” Frisk looked down at their hands, a sullen expression on their face. Sans turned to you, “you. why are you here?”

You crossed and uncrossed your arms a few times before answering. “I don’t know.”

“you don’t know?” A nod. That didn’t seem to be a good enough answer for him. “what do you mean you don't know? how’d you get down here?”  
You shrugged and shoved your hand in your pocket, feeling a cold metal.

“It’’s… a long story.” He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest.

“i got time.” You sighed and pulled out the watch.

“I’m here because of this thing.” He looked it over, closing one eye and leaning back afterwards.

“ ‘s that supposed to be?” You looked down at the trinket.

“Honestly… I have no clue. That’s what I was trying to figure out before I ended up… here. But I’m not really sure where here is in relation with where I was.. if that make sense?” You were trying in vain to explain something you didn’t understand.

He eyed you with a half lidded stare.“so, you just.. showed up?”

“Well yeah. Alphys just told me not to press any buttons, and I ran my hands around the little crystal thingys, and poof! Now I’m here.” He hesitated for a second, looking at you skeptically. .

“alphys? how do you know her? and how are you still in one piece. she knows what a human looks like… and the last one that she met didn’t make it away from her lab in one piece.” You swallowed a bit nervously at the thought. Alphys couldn’t do something like that… could she?

“Alright.” You prepared yourself for a second. “Now, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I’m not from here.” He looked you up and down.

“obviously.” You shook your head and began again, this time with a bit of frustration in your voice.

“No, you don’t understand. I’m not from here. I was in Alphys’ lab because you brought me there.” Confusion crossed his features. He looked over to frisk with a silent question in his eyes.

“I… don’t remember her from any of the resets. But… she did know our names.” You nodded at what the kid had said.

“Because I know you! Well, kind of. The Frisk I know is, I’m not sure... eight? They can't speak, either. ” You looked to Red. “And you! I know you, to! But you’re different… It’s almost like… I don’t know?”

“prove it.” Proof? You thought for a second.

“I know… You have a younger brother. Papyrus is his name. I know you care a lot about him. I know that you like telling bad jokes, and I know he pretends not to like them.” He narrowed his eyes at you.

“how do I know that you didn’t just hear all of that from some other monster? you said you know alphys. She could’ve told you all of that. i hate her, but i didn’t used to. she knows all of that.” You sighed and looked him in the eye.

“I know that you are a lot smarter than you let on. I know that you really like science. You seemed to be especially inclined towards the stars. I know that you can teleport. I know that you don’t trust easily. I know… I know you have nightmares. You never told me directly… but I’m not stupid.” You were going to continue, but his expression caused you to slow before you got any more personal.

“if i didn’t tell ya, then how’d you…?”

“I took on two majors in college, Red. One was a passion and the other was a talent. I’m very talented at reading people.” He sat up and took the watch from your hand. He flipped it around in his hands a few times before handing it back.

“yer from an alternate universe, then.” You blinked at his slowly. He just sounded so… casual about that. Like it was just another normal Friday for him. You must have been making an odd face because he chuckled at you.“doll, the kid can basically time travel and yer expectin’ me to throw a fit over that? i’ve always known alternate realities were more than possible.” Eye lights scanned over your form. “never really thought someone could just ‘accidentally’ jump from universe to universe, though. guess i shouldn’t be surprised.” You were a bit unnerved by how well he seemed to be taking the information.

“Well… do you know how I can get back, then?”

“nope.”

“...Oh.”

… Wait. Did he say that Frisk could time travel? You looked over to them with wide eyes.

“You can time travel?” They looked up with guilt in their eyes.  
“Not.. exactly? I can go back to save points that show up when I feel determined enough.” You nodded like what they had said made any sense in your mind.

“Right… How?”  
“they’re a mage. least i think so. thought they’d all died off, but the brat seems to be able to use a version of determination magic.”

Maybe you were starting to understand things. Maybe? Honestly, for each answer you got, another two questions popped up. You had known mages were a thing. They had been the ones to seal the monsters in the underground, after all. You also knew that they were all dead in your universe. But… maybe not. Could the Frisk from your universe do that? You would ask when you got home. If you ever got home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, reader. You've really gotten yourself stuck in a bad place. It's okay, though. You'll find your way home eventually.. probably. But hey, at least Red seems to be okay with you.
> 
> Another chapter out for you guys! I hope you enjoyed it!  
> I'll see you all next time!! 
> 
> A tumblr for you nerds:
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lost-immortality


	12. Meanwhile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, Where'd you go? 
> 
>  Alternatively, you unintentionally cause panic back home.

His eyelights rested on the space that you had previously occupied. There was a stunned silence that overtaken the room. Sans looked to the other scientist in the room, an unspoken question in his expression. Alphys opened her mouth, only to close it once more. The smaller of the two spoke in a mousey voice.

“Oh, d-d-dear!” A pair of frantic eyes glossed over the room, looking for the missing human. Her breathing began to speed up into an unsteady rhythm, “She’s gone! W-wh-what happened? What If she’s hurt? What d-d-do we do?” Sans rushed over to her. He knew what the beginning of a panic attack looked like, and was not about to let her go through another one. His phalanges rested on either shoulder as he looked into her eyes.

“hey, i’m gonna need you to take a breath, okay? i know that this seems bad, but don’t worry. we’ll figure it out.” She nodded, her breath beginning to even out. “besides, how far could she have possibly gone?” She began wringing her hands.

“G-gone? I don’t- I don’t understand.”

He looked back to the area that (Y/N) had just been, “yeah, gone. I recognized the magic. she teleported.” Alphys seemed to mull that over as Sans let her go and took a few steps back.

“S-so should we get a search party together, then?” Sans nodded, and found himself in thought.

He knew that it would be much easier to find her with multiple sets of eyes looking. It would mean chaos if she went missing. Not only would it weigh on the minds of the two scientists, but it would be bad for monsters in general. A woman who had welcomed monsters into her home with open arms suddenly vanishes, and the last person to see her is the monster she so graciously welcomed. Yeah, he could see that one creating some kind of mass hysteria with the humans. Not only that, but…

She wasn’t all bad for a human. In fact, Sans had found himself feeling guilty of the way he had treated her. He understood that she was not dangerous to either of the brothers not a day after they met, and yet, he continued to act cold towards the woman. And for what? Because she had something odd about her soul that she didn’t seem to be able to control? Because she ended up with some weird tool that has put her god knows where? Yeah, right. It seemed that she had gotten the bad deal with both of those. He had told himself that she couldn’t possibly be that nice. She had to have ulterior motives. But after knowing her, after seeing how easy she blew off all of his threats and bitter attitude, he knew that wasn’t the case. In all honesty, he confused her. She was just so… hopeful. Sans just couldn't understand her. But, he wanted to. He would find you, one way or another.

He turned back to Alphys. “i need you to send a message to anyone that you trust to meet us at the barrier. we’ll make search parties. we’ll find her, alph.” She nodded and quickly pulled out her phone. The sound of her claws tapping the screen rapidly seemed like gunshots in the silence of the room. Once she was done, she looked up at him.

“A-alright. I’ve sent it!” She shoved the phone in her pocket and turned to the back doo, “I-I can start looking around Hotland for her! You g-go up to the barrier to m-meet everyone else, o-okay?” Sans nodded

“kay.” And with that, he teleported back to the entrance of the underground.

He took a deep breath. This was bad. He had really wanted this timeline to work out. This had been the longest they’d stayed on the surface, and the kid promised it would be the last. What if they decided to reset because of this? He couldn’t handle another reset. Hell, he wasn’t sure he could handle another load. He could understand why the kid was resetting, sorta. He knew they just wanted everyone to be happy, but… he just wished the kid wasn’t so damn determined about it. He shook his thoughts away and looked to the horizon. He so desperately wanted this to be the happy ending that they would stay in, and would do everything in his power to make sure that it was.

The first to arrive other than himself was Undyne. As soon as she saw him, she marched up to him with a furious expression on her face.

“What’s the emergency? Alph just texted me saying to be here ASAP. She’d better not be hurt, Sans!” Sans put his hands up as the large fish woman leaned down to his eye level.

“ don’ worry, your gill-friend is fine. she’s in hotland right now.” A confused expression crossed her face as she stood back up.

“If neither of you are in danger, then why am I here?” Sans grimaced slightly.

“well, uh. do you remember that human that me n’ paps are stayin’ with?”

“(Y/N)? Of course I do. Why?” Her eyes narrowed, glossing over the skeleton.

“well she-” A loud ‘omph’ came from the skeleton as a small body intersected with his own. Frisk looked up at the skeleton. Their eyes were slightly red and puffy.

 _‘I was so worried! Is Alphys okay? I can’t loose you guys_!’

Sans wrapped his arms around the kid carefully, “woah, kid. no need to go to extremes here. i’m fine. alphys is fine.”

“We got here as soon as we could. How can we help?” Toriel approached from the direction that Frisk had come from, Asgore following slightly behind her. The clang of metal coming from the other direction surprised him slightly. He turned his head slightly to meet the eyes of the fuchsia robot. Did Alphys really trust him with this? He supposed that he had faith in her confidence. Plus, the extra set of eyes would be useful. But he would make sure to keep his eye on the gossip-y monster.

“My dear Alphys has sent me a distress call! What seems to be the matter, darling?” The redhead crossed her arms. She had begun to pace when Sans was interrupted. With her feet now planted, she looked at Mettaton.

“Something about (Y/N).” Sans nodded at Undyne’s words. Frisk and Toriel had similar reactions to the news, a worried look scrunching on their faces.

“we lost her.” There was a pause in the conversation.

“You lost her?” Undyne gave him a deadpan stare.

“...yes.”

Frisk took a step back.

‘ _What do you mean?’_

Sans took a deep breath, “i mean she’s gone. she’s missing. poof.”

“Oh, my. That is a problem. Do you have any idea where she may be?” Toriel seemed very concerned at the well being of the girl, unsurprisingly. Sans shook his head, but gestured behind him.

“figured we’d start underground.” She nodded.

“I’m sorry, but who are we looking for?” Right, Asgore and Mettaton had never met her.  
Frisk turned to the two, ‘ _She’s a friend! A human that lives with Sans and Paps_.”

Asgore nodde, “In that case. I will do all that I can to help you find her.” The group began filing into the underground. Sans stopped Mettaton as he passed.

“this is on a need to know basis.” He narrowed his eyes at the robot.

“Of course, darling. My lips are sealed.” He continued to saunter past.

Sans turned away from the group as they made their way deeper into the underground. He looked back to the entrance as another familiar figure rushed up. The skeleton had been the last to arrive, but Sans knew he would show up. While he was a terrible liar, Papyrus was the most trustworthy person Sans had ever met. It came as no surprise that Alphys would include him.

“HELLO, BROTHER!” Sans grinned up at him.

“hey, bro.” Papyrus turned to the are that the group had disappeared into.

“ALPHYS SAID THAT THERE WAS AN EMERGENCY. I KNOW YOU WERE OUT WITH (Y/N) TODAY. IS SHE… ALRIGHT?” He began rubbing the fingers of his gloves. Sans frowned at his brothers’ nervousness. Seeing the worry in his eyes bothered him. He could tell his brother that everything was fine, but he couldn’t bring himself to lie to his brother.

“i… i don’t know. she’s kinda… gone.”  
Papyrus narrowed his eyes in thought. His hand was brought up to his chin in a thoughtful manner,  “GONE AS IN TELEPORTED, YOU MEAN?” Sans nodded. A hum of thought came from the younger brother.

“there are a few of us looking, but i have no clue where she went. for all i know, she could be in another country.”

He nodded slowly, “RIGHT. WELL, DID YOU TRY ASKING HER WHERE SHE WENT?”

Sans tilted his head at his brother, “bro, that’s the problem. i can’t ask her if i don’t know where she is.”  
Papyrus seemed to deflate a bit at that.

“SO CALLING HER DID NOT WORK?” Calling her? A look of realization crossed his face. Of course. Why hadn’t he thought of that?

“pap, you’re a genius. do you have her number?”

“OF COURSE I AM! AND OBVIOUSLY! WHAT KIND OF FRIEND WOULD I BE IF I DIDN’T HAVE HER NUMBER?” Sans relaxed slightly.

“you’re the coolest, bro.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, quickly scrolling through the contacts.

“I KNOW.”

Sans held the phone up, putting it on speaker for the two to hear. It rang once. Twice. Three times. Then there was a soft click, and a surprised voice came through the speaker.

 

 

“Um.. hello?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, hey there! I know that this one's shorter, and I'm super sorry about that. Maybe I'll do an extra chapter this week to make up for it? But hey, at least now you know a bit more about Sans. Next chapter will go back to reader. 
> 
> As always, I'll see you time around!
> 
> (Also HoLLYYY ShiT! WHy do So MAny of Yuo LiKE tHIs TRainWrEAk Of a SToRY??!!?!?!)  
> (But in all seriousness, thank you all!! :) It means a lot to me that you not only read this, but you actually like it? And are invested in it for some reason? You guys are so sweet!)
> 
> My tumblr if you want to stop by and drop me a message:
> 
>  
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lost-immortality


	13. Hello?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How in the world are you getting phone calls from other dimensions? Man, your cell service must be something else.

Red's eyes were focused on a screen in front of him as his fingers quickly tapped on a keyboard. Once you had told him that you were from a different universe, he began working on… something. You weren’t sure what it was, though. He seemed pretty focused and he didn’t really strike you as the type that liked being bothered.

You sat quietly on the floor of his lab next to Frisk. After the conversation had stopped, the room had fallen into a tense silence. You had more than once tried to start up a conversation with either of the two, but you had quickly found that neither of them were in a conversation mood. So, you had turned to picking at the paint on the wall closest to you. You tried very hard not to let your thoughts wander to the others back home.

But then your phone began buzzing in your pocket.

You pulled it out and looked at the screen in confusion. Red looked over at you.

“who the hell’s that? thought you said you were from another universe ‘r whateva.”  
Your confusion only grew at the name on the screen.

“It’s- erm… Papyrus?” He gave you an odd look. You elaborated, “It’s my Papyrus.” With that you quickly brought the phone up to your ear.

“Um… Hello?”

“AH! MISS (Y/N)! I AM GLAD TO HEAR THAT YOU ARE UNHARMED! YOU HAD US ALL VERY WORRIED WHEN YOU DISAPPEARED!” You pulled the phone away from your ear slightly at his volume.

“Yeah.. I’m-er…” You looked over at the edgy version of Sans, who was eying you with an odd expression, “Alive.”

“WONDERFUL! DO YOU… HAPPEN TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE? WE ARE ALL LOOKING FOR YOU!”  
Your eyes left the burly figure of Red to scan around the room, “Kinda. I’m in a lab in Snowdin.”

“REALLY? WOWWIE! YOU MUST BE IN OUR BASEMENT, THEN!”

“Well, sorta. I’m in here with Sans.”

“SANS? ARE YOU SURE? BECAUSE SANS IS ALSO STANDING NEXT TO ME!”

“I’m pretty certain. Would you mind putting your brother on the phone?” You heard muffled talking on the other end of the line before a different voice greeted you.

“you said you were standing next to me?” You recognized the familiar base of San’s voice and almost sighed in relief.

“Yeah. A version of you, at least.” You hesitated for a second before continuing. “What happened? How am I here? Do you have any idea how I can get back?” You had about 10 more rushed question you felt you needed to ask, but his voice came through the receiver before you could get too carried away.

“woah, there. you’ll be fine. you were teleported.”

“So I gathered. I went from a lab to a snowy forest with no warning. How do I get back?”

“well, if the watch got you there, i’d wager it can get you back, snow problem.” A smirk crossed you features for a brief second. You pulled the trinket out of your coat pocket. Frisk leaned closer to you to see the watch, and you could feels Red’s gaze moving from you to the item in your hands.

“That seems like it would make sense, but how? I don’t want to end up somewhere dangerous.” You paused, looking back at the door to the lab. “ Well, somewhere more dangerous, at least.” The other line was quiet for a few seconds.

“are you in danger?” Your eyes moves over to the black and red clad skeleton.

“Not immediately, but this… I don't know? Universe, I guess? Is pretty… harsh.” You heard a scoff from Red. He stood up and made his way over to you. He reached out his hand and gestured for you to give him the phone. When you made no move to hand it to him, he snatched it out of your grasp.

“Wha- Hey!” He ignored your protest and brought the phone up to his ear. Or where his ear would be, if he had one.

“this is sans, but i s'pose you are, to." You heard muffled talking that you couldn’t quite make out on the other end of the phone.

“don’ worry ‘bout it. i’m not gonna kill ‘er.” Red paused as there was more talking on the other end. Your arms crossed over your chest as you glared at him.

“that’s not important right now. right now, i think you and i need to have a little chat.”

He turned to you and Frisk and held out his hand. His eye briefly flashed red and you were pushed out the door with Frisk. Before you could walk back inside, the door slammed shut. A click of a lock dashed any hopes you once had of getting back in. You turned to the kid.

“Well. That was rude. He still has my phone.” Frisk chuckled slightly at your complaints. You smirked down at them, “I suppose he can’t stay in there forever. How about we go build a snowman while we wait?” They nodded happily.

“I know just the place!” They took your hand and began dragging you back through the town. As you walked through, you noticed a few eyes on you, but not nearly as many as when you had entered the town. None of the monsters that were eyeing you made any move to actually interact with you, however, so you payed them no mind.

You and Frisk made your way out of the town and into a small clearing not far from the entrance. The snow in this area seemed oddly clean compared to the rest of the snow in the underground. Frisk had seemed to purposely avoid the discolored snow. You were starting to think that the darker spots in the snow weren’t just patches of odd colored snow. You shook off the uncomfortable feeling you got from thinking too much about the subject.

Frisk quickly ran off to begin rolling snow into a ball. You smiled and let them create the base for your snowman. Once they seemed satisfied with the size, they began making a smaller ball of snow to stack on top. You watched as the quickly moved around you, pulling as much snow as they could from the ground. Once they finished the second piece, they plopped it on top of the base with little care. They pulled a few small stones out of their pocket and made a crooked face on the snowman. With a flourish, they turned to you with a goofy grin and presented the snowman. You chuckled and raised a brow at them.

“I donno, kid… He looks kinda lumpy.” They playfully pouted at you. You grinned and looked up towards the gray layer of clouds above you. Your grin faded to be a melancholy smile. It was… kind of glum here. Even in peaceful moments, there was still an underlying tension that you just couldn’t seem to shake. Even the sky looked upset over something. Your gaze fell back down to Frisk, only to be met with a smug grin and a face full of snow.

You gasped at the cold feeling. Frisk tucked their hands behind their back and began lowly whistling. You let out a laugh of disbelief before picking up a scoop of snow.

“Oh, it’s so on.” They squealed and dashed away from you,  “Oh no you don’t!” You rushed after them, preparing to fling the mound of snow at them as soon as you had a clear shot.

They weaved around different areas like a pro. You would have been impressed. You would have been if you weren’t hellbent on your revenge, at least. You were slowly gaining on them as they turned onto a well used path. You stopped running as soon as you noticed the large figure in front of Frisk.

“Frisk, Wait! Stop!” They looked back at you and blew a raspberry in your direction. When they turned around, They ran directly into the monster. With an noise of surprise, they fell back. The tall red and black clad monster did not seem to budge at the impact. You began jogging closer to the scene. The sharp, but slightly familiar now that you were looking, skeleton glared down at the kid.

“WHAT,” He bent down over the kid, who had begun to back away, “DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING, YOU FILTHY MONGREL?” You stood behind Frisk as they scrambled to their feet.

“I’m so sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was going!” Frisk quickly apologized He scowled down at the two of you as you began pulling Frisk away.

“OBVIOUSLY.” His eyes scanned you and Frisk before a sinister smile broke across his face, bringing your attention to his fangs. A slight chuckle escaped him.  
“NOT ONLY ONE PATHETIC HUMAN,” His glare moved from Frisk to you, “BUT TWO.” Your grip on Frisk tightened and you began pulling them behind you. A sharpened femur materialized in his hand.

“I, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS WILL NOW TAKE YOUR SOULS. GOODBYE.” You tensed up as he raised his hand to the two of you. Your eyes widened. You felt like you knew your Papyrus pretty well. He would never try to hurt anyone without reason. Hell, he might not hurt anyone even with good reason.  
Frisk pulled themselves from your grasp and walked up to the monster. They held their hands up. The soft noise of the breeze pulling through the air was the only sound for a few moments before frisk spoke up.

“Papyrus, listen. You don't have to do this. We can-” They were interrupted as the sharper version of Papyrus clenched his fist. Several sharpened femurs shot out from the snow. Frisk narrowly avoided all of them.

“Stop, please! This isn’t right! I haven’t hurt anyone!” They moved around a few more bones that pierced the air.

“YOUR MISTAKE. IN THIS WORLD, IT’S KILL OR BE KILLED.” He punctuated his words by tossing the femur in his hands at Frisk like a spear, The kid moved to avoid it just as another way of bones erupted from the ground. Frisk gasped as one clipped the side of their leg. You moved as soon as you saw the red leaking from the gash on their leg. You put yourself between the tall skeleton and the child that you were determined to protect. You glanced back at Frisk.

“You okay?” That nodded, but fell back onto the ground behind you. You grimaced and looked back to the figure that stood a good foot above you. Your eyes met his and you spent a few seconds locked in a glare.

“Miss (Y/N)?” You made a small hum, and they continued, “Please don’t hurt him.” You gave a small nod.

“Don’t worry about it, kiddo. Just keep off that leg, alright?” You widened your stance, prepared to dodge whatever he threw at you.

  
You are filled with bravery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! (Actually, don't. That would be really bad. Edgy Papyrus isn't that bad once you get to know him, I promise!!) Also, another Skeleton joins the fray! And Red is being all sketchy and stuff. What can I say, the man likes his secrets. 
> 
> See you nerds next time! 
> 
> My tumblr that I'm on sometimes, maybe. Red may not like to be bothered, but I do!
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lost-immortality


	14. Bonetrousle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyeh-he-he, but more edgy.

 The cold air filled your lungs as you took a deep breath. Only a few yards stood between you and the tall skeleton monster. Your eyes remained on his, a silent challenge in your glare. Papyrus or not, you would not let him hurt Frisk anymore. His mouth twitched upward into a condescending smirk.

“IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT ORDER I KILL YOU IN, BUT IF YOU WISH TO BE FIRST, THEN SO BE IT.”  
You thought as he raised his hand toward you. How could you get out of this without anyone getting hurt? Not only did Frisk seem to be against it, but you felt a bit hesitant at hurting the almost familiar brother. Then an idea hit you.

“What If you can’t?” He paused, his smirk returning for a second.

“IT IS FUNNY THAT YOU THINK SO HIGHLY OF YOURSELF. IT IS TRAGIC THAT YOU GENUINELY BELIEVE YOU COULD OUTLAST ME, THE TERRIBLE PAPYRUS, CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD.” He looked to the side for a moment before looking back at you, “THAT WAS SARCASM, BY THE WAY. YOUR DEMISE WILL NOT UPSET ME IN THE LEAST.” You heard frisk snicker quietly behind you.

“Alright, then I’m sure you wouldn’t mind making a deal with me?” He narrowed his eyes at you, and you were honestly a bit surprised that he was still listening to you.

“WHY WOULD I DO THAT?”

“Can’t you humor a dying girl? Of course I don’t doubt you in the least. I know that I, of course, will meet my inevitable doom at your hands, so won’t you grant me this one mercy?” He seemed to think for a second before a vicious grin crossed his features.

“ALRIGHT, WENCH. I’LL PLAY INTO YOUR SILLY GAME. WHAT DO YOU GET IF YOU SOMEHOW MANAGE TO SURVIVE, WHICH YOU WON’T.”  
You gave him a small smirk, “Let me up the stakes a bit. If I can somehow miraculously avoid all of your attacks, you have to promise to let us go. Frisk and I can walk away from you unscathed.” He seemed to have an amused glint in his expression.

“FINE.” Almost immediately after the word left his mouth, he tossed a sharpened femur in your direction. You barely had time to register the attack before you ducked under it. “BUT I DECIDE WHEN THE BATTLE IS DONE. I HOPE YOUR STAMINA IS AS GOOD AS YOU THINK IT IS, HUMAN.” You rolled your shoulders and stood back up.

“You and me both, Boss.” He held his hand out, and you felt a strange pressure in the air.

You felt the attack under your feet before it appeared. You swiftly jumped away just as several bones pierced the air. If you hadn’t moved, there was a good chance you would have bared a strong resemblance to Swiss cheese. Your eyes widened slightly at the thought, but you kept your focus on the skeleton in front of you. As you dodged attacks, you noticed that he had a few small tells. He would twitch his fingers slightly before a wave of bones came from the ground, and he pulled his arm back to release spear-like bones in your direction. You felt like you may have been getting the hang of his attacks.

With every attack you dodged, the sharper version of Papyrus seemed to grow more frustrated. Not only did his posture turn more rigid, but his attacks were getting sloppy. You had to stop yourself from smirking as you danced around another attack. A low growl came from his direction. His eye momentarily flared a red color, and he put his hand out towards you.

You suddenly felt a crushing weight in your chest. You gasped slightly as you focused on staying upright. It was as if gravity had increased on you, and you were almost pulled to your knees at the sensation. You looked up at the face of your opponent. A smug grin covered his face.

“NOT SO EASY TO MOVE AROUND NOW, IS IT WENCH?” He took a few steps toward you and leaned down. He was close enough that you could feel the warmth of his breath contrast the air around you.

“WON’T YOU DANCE FOR ME NOW, HUMAN?” He stood back up and you yanked your feet from the snow to take a few steps back. As you did so, a row of bones appeared between you and him. He almost laughed at your sudden lack of grace.

You briefly glanced back at Frisk, who was watching the two of you from a safe distance away. You looked back. This wasn’t going to work. With the strange weight in your chest, you knew you would run out of energy very quickly. As you tried to think yourself out of the situation, you tried your best to keep out of the way of any attacks thrown your way. If this was truly a version of Papyrus, maybe you could talk him out of it. Even if you couldn’t, you needed to try.

“What if you don’t have to kill us to get out?” Another attack was thrown your way.

“OF COURSE I DO. I NEED YOUR SOUL. HOW ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO GET IT?” Your breath was beginning to get much heavier than you would have liked.  
“What if I just let you borrow it?” Another attack.

“YOU ARE AN IDIOT. YOU CAN’T BORROW A SOUL.” Another dodge. You were starting to slow down, and you knew he could tell.

“Well what if I just came with you willingly? Can’t you get my soul power or whatever while it’s still inside of me?” He… hesitated slightly. Bingo.

“LIKE I WOULD TRUST YOU TO FOLLOW ME ANYWHERE. YOU’LL STAB ME IN THE BACK IF I EVEN ATTEMPT SUCH A STUPID THING.” He threw another attack at you.

“I refuse to accept that anyone has to die. There is another way, and I will find it.” His eyes left yours, appearing to prefer the floor. You knew that look. It was guilt.

“PEOPLE ALREADY HAVE. WHY SHOULD YOU BE ANY DIFFERENT?” He threw another attack, but he continued to talk before you could get a word in edgewise. “DO YOU KNOW WHAT I’VE HAD TO DO TO GET TO WHERE I AM TODAY? TO THIS POSITION? DO YOU KNOW WHY I’M THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD?” He didn't wait for your answer. You wouldn’t have been able to, anyways. His attacks seemed to increase in speed with each question he asked, and you knew you were at the end of the line. He summoned another weapon in his hands and swung it at you. You barely managed to avoid the attack. He continued swinging at you quickly, and you kept taking steps back. Then you did the stupidest, most cliche thing anyone could do. You tripped. You fell backwards directly onto your butt in the snow. Papyrus seized the opportunity, and brought his makeshift blade to your neck. He stood over you, a blank look on his face as he looked you in the eye.

“I KILLED THE LAST CAPTAIN. SHE WAS IN MY WAY. THAT IS HOW THINGS WORK IN THE UNDERGROUND. THE WEAK AND MERCIFUL DIE.” You met his gaze and examined him for a second. He was covered in scars, the most obvious of which was over his eye. He looked like he had been through hell and back, which probably wasn’t far from the truth. You sighed lightly and gave him a gentle smile.

“I understand now. You did what you had to. You survived. I would have probably done the same thing.” He grimaced and pushed the bone closer to your throat. You could feel the end of it ghost against your skin. With how sharp it felt, he would have no problem pushing it through your neck.

“WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT? STOP TRYING TO MAKE ME FEEL… THINGS! I DON’T WANT YOU TO BE NICE TO ME! FIGHT BACK YOU INSOLENT WENCH!” Your soft expression never fell.

“I won’t do that. I know you can be a good person, if you just put a little effort into it. You may believe that fighting is a necessity, but it’s not the only way to solve a problem. I have hope for a lot of things… but I don’t hope that a person can change. I know that they can. I know that you can. I believe in you, Papyrus. You can do better, even if you don’t think so.” You don't think you had ever seen so many expressions pass over a face in such a short amount of time. Despite holding the weapon at you, he listened intently to what you had to say.

“YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THIS WORLD.” With that, his weapon disappeared from his hand, and he took a step back. You tilted your head in a silent question. He noticed your gaze, and gave you a scowl before turning away from you.

“THE BATTLE IS DONE. TAKE THE SMALLER HUMAN AND GO, BEFORE I CHANGE MY MIND.” You stood up from the cold ground and looked towards his retreating form.

“Whatever you say, Boss!” You lowered your voice slightly before you continued, “Thank you. I’ll find another way to get you to the surface. I promise.” His steps slowed for a moment, but then he continued. Your eyes followed him for a few more seconds before you spun towards Frisk. They sat on the ground, holding their leg. You walked over to them.

“How is it? Can you walk?” They smiled up at you and stood with only slight trouble.

“You didn’t hurt him.” You leaned down to get a better look at their leg.

“ ‘course not. Now let’s go back to the lab before we get any other visitors. I would hate to see how vicious the Undyne of this universe is.” They gave you an odd look.

“Undyne is still alive where you’re from?” You tilted your head. Undyne was dead in this one? What happened to… oh.

OHHHH!! OH SHIT! You connected the dots from the story edgy Papyrus told you, and what you knew of your Undyne. Did this Papyrus really…? Frisk seemed to notice your surprised expression.

“I never met her. She died before I fell, but I’ve heard a lot about her. She… Wasn’t very well liked. Even for a royal guard, and everyone hates the guard.” You began walking back towards the little town in the same direction the large skeleton had gone.

“Do you know why?” Frisk seemed a bit sheepish at that question.

“Yeah, she, uh… wasn’t a nice person.” They paused and looked around the tree lines. It took them a few seconds to continue the story. “ While he isn’t well liked because he’s in charge of the royal guard, the monsters respect Papyrus. He’s actually a very good Captain. He has his rules and regulations, and there are some lines he won’t cross. But Undyne… she didn’t care about respect. She was feared. Unlike him, she had no morals, no rules.”

The walk back continued in silence. Both of you had become lost in thought, and you decided to stay away from any glum topics you may have been curious about. They didn’t seem to mind the quiet. You didn’t either.

As you got back to the town, you noticed that the small number of monsters that were out and about had decreased to none. It was odd, but you didn’t let it bother you too much. Maybe they all went to bed? Come to think of it, you had no idea how to tell time in the underground. You supposed that you could ask. Or maybe you’d just leave it as a mystery. You had better things to worry about anyways, like when you’d be home. Or how to get home. Or why the door to the lab looked like it had been kicked open. You sighed as yet another problem stood in the way of home.

As you got closer to the house that the brothers shared, you could hear a familiar scratchy yelling. What he was yelling about, you had no clue. You could, however, tell that the yelling was obviously directed at Red. You and Frisk gave each other a look before rushing over to the door. When you peeked in, you noticed Red sinking into his jacket as Papyrus glared down at him.

“Sorry to interrupt, but you have my phone. I would really like it back, especially now that I know my plan covers interdimensional calls.” Both of the brothers turned to look at you. As soon as Red’s eyes met yours, they widened. He looked from you to his brother quickly.

“boss, i can explain. it’s not what it looks like.” Papyrus’ gaze moved from you to his brother.

“REALLY, SANS? BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE A HUMAN. A HUMAN WHO IS CONCERNED ABOUT A PHONE THAT YOU STOLE FROM THEM.” You held up your hand and walked into the room.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it, Boss. I just let him borrow it. We’re all good.” The taller brother narrowed his eyes at his brother. A look of confusion was plastered on Red’s face.

“i know ya don't’ like stealin’ an all, but shouldn’t you be a little more concerned with the humans?” Papyrus turned to you with equally narrowed eyes. You decided in that moment that Boss was a fitting name for the monster as he glowered down at you.

“Who, me and the kiddo? There’s no need to be concerned at us! We’re gonna help our good pal Boss get to the surface!” Red looked between the two of you, surprise evident on his face.

“I AM NOT YOUR ‘PAL’, YOU FILTHY HUMAN.” You put your hand over your heart in mock hurt.

“You wound me! I thought we were thick as thieves! Peas in a pod! Stuck like glue, me and you!” He audibly growled at you.

“YOU ARE PUSHING YOUR LUCK, HUMAN. WE HAD A DEAL, AND THAT IS IT. I WILL NOT TOLERATE ANY MORE OF YOUR TOMFOOLERY!” You smiled and nodded.

“You’re the boss, Boss.” With that, you turned to Red.

“Can I have my phone now?” You looked back at Frisk, “And maybe some bandages, if you have any.” He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but made no move to bring you either of those things.

“when didja run into boss to make a deal with him? i thought you was s’posed to be up in hotland today.” The second part was directed towards his brother.  

“When you shoved us out in the cold.” You gave him a side-eye.

“I FOUND THEM MEANDERING ABOUT IN THE SNOW WHILE I WAS LOOKING FOR YOU. YOU WERE NOT AT YOUR STATION, AS PER USUAL. I WAS HOPING YOU WERE AT LEAST AT ONE OF YOUR STATIONS, BUT I WAS SADLY MISTAKEN.” You noticed the tense atmosphere, and the way Red flinched back at his brother’s words.

“He was!” Both heads turned to you. “At his station, I mean. It’s my fault he left. He was bringing me and Frisk to his lab so that he could bring us to you.” He looked between all of the people in the room before his eyes landed back on you.

“I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU FEEL YOU NEED TO PROTECT MY BROTHER, BUT HE DOES NOT NEED PROTECTION, ESPECIALLY FROM YOU.” He crossed his arms in front of him and glared down at you. “DO NOT LIE TO ME AGAIN, HUMAN. YOU WILL NOT LIKE THE RESULTS.” You looked to Red and gave him an almost unnoticeable shrug.

“Hey, can’t blame a girl for trying, right?”

“WRONG.”

You sighed and moved over to the smaller skeletal brother. You put your hand out and made a ‘gimmie’ motion. He pulled your phone from his pocket with a neutral expression and dropped it onto your hand. You smiled and looked around the lab. There was a small first aid kit under one of the metal table. You wandered over to it, several pairs of eyes following you as you did so. You pulled open the box to see that while it was pretty empty, it did have a small roll of bandages. You pulled it out and sat on the floor.

“C’mere, kiddo. Let’s get that leg fixed up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tone down the sass there, reader. 
> 
> Man, your comments always make my day! Thank you all so much for the support you've given this story! It means a whole lot to me! You are all wonderful and great. Thanks for being so cool! See ya next update!
> 
> Until then, here's my Tumblr:
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lost-immortality


	15. Through the Underground.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or part of it, at least.

After making sure that the bandage was tight enough, you gave Frisk a gentle pat on their leg.

“You’re all good to go, kid. You’ll be better in no time.” They smiled and stood up, giving you a quiet thank you as they did so. Your eyes fell of the small roll of bandages that was left in your hand. There wasn’t a lot, but it was always better to have something like that on hand. And, if you kept it, you’d get a chance to mess with that weird storage function in your watch. You pulled said object out of your pocket once more. You opened it up and pressed the buttons that Alphys had used before. The tiny holographic boxes popped up once more, only one of them containing an object. You felt Frisk push at your side.

“Woah! How do you have a dimensional box?” Frisk looked closely at the little icons. “And why is that the only thing in there?” You chuckled.

“It was a test run. That’s just what we happened to have on hand.” They let out a snort. You tapped the roll on one of the little boxes and watched as it became a little icon above your watch. You grinned.

“Magic is so cool.” Frisk nodded in agreement. With that sentiment, you turned back to the brothers. They had remained oddly quiet as you wrapped Frisk’s leg. You smiled up at the taller of the two.

“Alright, Boss. I made you a promise. Let’s get up to the surface.” You then moved your attention to Red.

“Then, you can try to help me get home, yeah?” Without waiting for an answer, you made your way to the door and pulled it open. A cold breeze hit your face as you looked out at the snowy town. Your feet crunched in the snow as you took a few steps out. You paused and looked back at the door.

“Well, are you coming or what? I’ve got a barrier to break, and I… well, I have no idea how to get there.” You could hear Papyrus scoff from inside the lab, but he followed you out anyways. Frisk was at his heels, a determined look on their face. You glanced behind the two. Red stood in the doorway, a grimace on his face as he looked down at his shoes.

“maybe i should stay here with your dumb watch. won’t figure itself out, i’ll need time to understand it. i can just meet you in the castle.” You thought for a second. He could teleport so there would be no problem with meeting up, but did you trust him enough to leave your only way of getting home? You put your hand over your pocket in thought. He hadn’t really done anything to warrant your distrust, but he hadn’t really earned it, either. He had taken your phone, but he also gave it back when you asked. Sure, you had no idea what he and your Sans were talking about, but you trusted Sans. What would he have to gain from keeping you here? You weren’t sure you knew the answer to that yet… but you also knew that he would need a good amount of time to try and figure out how to get you home. You pulled the artifact out of your pocket and held it out to him.

“Fine. You can take it until we meet back up. But only on one condition.” He reached for the watch.

“yea, yea, i’ll take care of it or whateva.” You pulled it out of his reach.

“I believe you, but that’s not what I want. Gimme your phone.” He blinked stupidly at you a few times before pulling the device out of his jacket.

“the hell do you want my phone for? you got your own.” You quickly took it from him and opened it. You were a little surprised that it didn’t have a password on it.

Disregarding the lack of personalization on his phone, you got to his contacts and typed in your number. You then looked up his number and pulled your phone out. After a few quick button presses, you handed him back his phone.

“There. Now you can call me in an emergency. And I can call you if I need to.”

“ya gave me ya number? Tha’s a stupid condition.” Despite his words, there was a slight red tint to his cheek bones. You giggled, shoving your phone into your pocket. You then dropped the watch into his hand.

“Good luck, Red.” Instead of answering you, he slammed the lab door shut. You snorted at the childish behavior and turned to the others. The taller brother stood with his arms crossed, tapping his foot impatiently. His stance was a polar opposite to that of the kid standing next to him. Frisk was looking around with a dopey grin. They were gently rocking on their heels. You smiled at the two and began walking past them. You were stopped by a rough grip on your arm. You looked up at the skeleton had stopped you. He stared down at you for a few seconds before looking away and letting you go.

“YOU ARE GOING THE WRONG WAY.” Your eyes moved from him to the path that was in front of you.

“Heh. Right. Maybe… maybe you should lead.” He scoffed at you. He seemed to do that a lot.

“OF COURSE I SHOULD LEAD. YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY TOO PATHETIC TO MAKE IT ON YOUR OWN.” You playfully rolled your eyes.

“Of course. How could I have been so blind.” You gave him gesture to walk in front of you, “After you.”

He began leading you off into what you assumed to be the correct direction. You followed through the remainder of the town. There was still an absence of monsters outside. You did, however, notice the occasional face peek out from a window. When you caught their eyes, they always disappeared back behind whatever blinds or curtain they were watching from. You looked over at the edgy version of your friend. He was wearing a menacing look on his face, and his eyes continuously scanned the surroundings. They were avoiding him. You supposed it was for the best right now. You could get where you were going without being stopped. The fact that they avoided him was probably the only thing that allowed you to get to the end of the town.

At least, you guessed it was the end of the town. The buildings had stopped a while back, but a heavy fog prevented you from seeing what was ahead. With no hesitation, Edge strode into the fog. You watched as Frisk followed. They both disappeared almost instantly, You glanced behind you. There was no one there, but you knew there would be soon. You looked back at the wall of white. It gave you a feeling of foreboding. You took a deep breath and marched after your friends.

As you went further into the fog, you noticed that you almost seemed to grow warmer. Now that you were thinking about it, the snow beneath your feet was thinning out as well. A glance around the fog didn’t reveal much. It was still thick as ever. How did it even get this foggy? Was it always like this? You desperately wanted to see what was in front of you. Or behind you, for that matter. You just… you had an odd feeling. It didn’t sit well with you. You tried your best to ignore it as you pushed forward.

Eventually, the fog began to thin. Instead of a snowy landscape like you were expecting, you noticed that the path ahead was dark blue and seemed to be made of stone. You continued forward, pushing the feeling to the back of your mind. More detail became apparent as you exited the fog. Streams of water fell from somewhere above you. Light blue crystals imbedded in the walls caught you attention. You wandered over to one and reached out to touch it. The cold surface lit up at your touch. You gasped in wonder. Magic was really, _really_ cool. You wrapped your fingers around the edge of the crystal and began trying to pry it out of the wall.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” You jumped slightly and looked over your shoulder, fingers still picking at the stone.

“This is an awesome rock. I want it.” You felt a gloved hand grab the collar of your coat before you were yanked away from the wall. You made a small noise of protest as you were dragged down the path.

“IF YOU SPEND ALL OF YOUR TIME TRYING TO DEFACE THE WALLS, WE’LL NEVER GET OUT OF HERE.” You sighed and wiggled out of his grip. He was right. You would have time to explore the underground later. You walked next to Edge, a spark of determination in your eyes.

From there, the three of you made your way through the next few areas quickly. While you were trying your best to get to the barrier as quickly as possible, you still paused every now and again to appreciate the aesthetic of the area. Frisk had informed you that it was called Waterfall. You had decided quickly that it was most likely the prettiest place in the underground. There was a sense of peace about it, even though you knew how harsh this universe could be. You smiled lightly and tucked your arms behind your back as you continued. As you entered the next room, however, you smile quickly dropped into a look of awe.

This room was darker than the others, and the blue-ish grass gently swayed. A few glowing mushrooms dotted the floor along with a plethora of large blue flowers that also seemed to be glowing. Your attention was not on that, however. It was on the ceiling. The entire top of the cavern was dotted in what looked to be thousands of those tiny crystals. Your feet slowly carried you to the center of the room. Your eyes never leaving the ceiling. Your held your breath for a few seconds before letting out an airy laugh.

“This place is beautiful!” You did a spin and stopped to face your two traveling companions. Frisk grinned up at you.

“This is my favorite part of the underground.” You ruffled the kid’s hair.

“I think I agree with you on that one, kiddo.” You looked over at Edge. He was eying you with an expressionless look. You fell onto your back and looked up at the ceiling. He sighed and moved over to lean against a wall, much to your surprise. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. When you opened your eyes again, Frisk was leaning over you.

“Wanna see something cool?” They asked you. You sat up.

“Of course I do!” The took your hand and lead you over to a patch of the flowers.

The lowed their voice and turned to you, “Say something to them.”

You responded just as quietly, “Like what? Just say anything?” They grinned and looked around at the number of patches that dotted the room.

“Doesn’t matter. Just make it _loud_.” Loud? Oh, you could do loud. You walked up to the patch of flowers and cleared your throat slightly. Then, you began you sing.

 _“I’m gonna swiiiing from the chandelie-eer_ ,  _From the Chandeliee-eee-eeer_!”You stood back with wide eyes as the flowers began repeating your notes back to you. Other patches of flowers joined in, and your voice echoed oddly around the room. You chuckled slightly.

“You were right, that’s pretty cool.” You looked back at the kid. They looked at you with a twinkle in your eye that you couldn’t quite place.

“You’re a really good singer!” You smiled almost bashfully at them.

“Well, thanks.” You turned to Edge, who was staring at with his head slightly tilted. He seemed to be thinking very hard about something. You grinned at him as the echoes faded. He quickly looked away from your form.

“I suppose we should get going.” You turned to continue along the path, Frisk at your side. The skeleton hesitated slightly before following.

You made your way through the rest of Waterfall with no other stops. You knew you were reaching the end when you began making you way down a long cave. Water dripped gently from the ceiling. The sound of your footfalls echoed in the cavern. You slowed your walk at a small area where a ray of bright light broke through. The feeling was back, and it was stronger than before. Frisk stopped next to you and followed your gaze. They blinked a few times at the space and scrunched up their face. Something was off here. You couldn’t help but feel like something was… missing. Frisk seemed to feel the same way. They got Edge’s attention with a wave.

“Has there ever been a statue here?” That was an oddly specific thing for them to ask. Maybe there had been? He looked at the spot for a few seconds before shaking his head.

“OF COURSE NOT. I WOULD REMEMBER IF THERE HAD BEEN.” He continued forward without another word, and you and Frisk moved your gaze from the area to follow him. The rest of the cavern was fairly short, and it put you out on a bridge made from the same blue stone. At the end of it, you could see the path continue off in another direction. The beginning of a large neon sign could be seen around the corner.

“We’re almost to Hotland. If the elevators are working, it should be a pretty straight shot from here.” You nodded at Frisk’s explination and began pulling off your coat.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” You tossed it over your shoulder and continued along.

“It’s called Hotland. I’m not sure this coat will be great for hot areas.” You wandered past the sign, which seemed to be broken, and felt the heat hit you almost immediately after.

Hotland indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Too hot. 
> 
> Thank you all for reading!
> 
> My Tumblr, which hosts the best and most reliable source of cute animals and bad jokes:
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lost-immortality


	16. The Throne Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for the worst, because after a treck through the underground, you reach the King in his throne room.

The layer of gravel crunched under your feet as you made your way through the caverns. Frisk stuck close to your side, looking up at you every now and then as if they wanted to ask you a question. You gave them a soft smile. They gave you a nervous one in response and looked away. You frowned slightly, but didn’t make any move to push them. You assumed that there would be plenty of time between where you were and reaching the barrier. There would be enough time for them to talk to you. Whatever they had to say, you would listen. Despite not even knowing the kid for a whole day, you had grown pretty attached to them. You looked back over at them. Frisk was looking over at the edge of the path, a warm glow lighting up their thoughtful expression. Admittedly, the lava over the side of the walkway unnerved you. You moved more towards the middle of the path.

“YOU WON’T FALL IN. NOT UNLESS YOU’RE STUPID. OR PUSHED.” You looked back at the skeleton that was walking behind you.

“Yes, well… lava isn’t a very common thing up top. We humans usually tend to avoid getting too close.” Your eyes wandered back to Frisk, who was practically leaning over the edge. “Most of us do, anyways.” You looked back to the path ahead of you.

“So, once we get to the barrier, how do we break it?” Edge looked you over before answering.

“YOU WILL HAVE TO ASK THE KING. MY JOB IS TO BRING HIM THE SOULS. I… DO NOT KNOW WHAT COMES NEXT.” You nodded slowly. Great. For all you knew, you could be walking into some kind of crazy ritual sacrifice. The Frisk in your universe was still alive, but could you really continue to compare the two? Sure, the monsters and people were similar, but they were not the same. At this point, it would be silly to assume anything. Admittedly, you were a bit nervous about what would happen when you arrived at the barrier. You took a deep breath and rolled your shoulders. Whatever happened, you would take it in stride. And, if the situation got out of hand, you had Red’s number. You weren’t sure how much he would be willing to help you, but you could always try. He was supposed to be meeting you there, anyways. With a new spark of hope, you continued through the heat.

The three of you continued in silence through the tunnels. Eventually, you reached a set of large metal doors. Edge walked up to the side of them and hit a few buttons on a keypad that you hadn’t noticed. The doors slid open with a metallic swoosh. Edge stepped into the elevator, Frisk following at his heels.

“YOU ARE LUCKY THAT THE ELEVATOR IS WORKING. WITHOUT ALL OF HIR STUPID DISTRACTIONS, ASGORE’S LITTLE SCIENCE PET ACTUALLY GETS WORK DONE,” He narrowed his eyes as the lights flicked slightly in the elevator. “AS MEDIOCRE AS IT MAY BE.” You followed the two inside the elevator, and the doors slid closed behind you. There was a gentle jolt as the elevator began moving.

“So this will take us straight up to… Where?” This time, Frisk excitedly answered your question.

“It goes to the beginning of the Capital! Right next to the castle!” They began tugging on our arm. “The castle’s really cool! We have to go through it to get to the barrier. When I went through, the elevator didn’t work, though. I had to go through all of Hotland! But that’s okay! The king’s house is in the capital, too.” You smiled and nodded at the child’s story, but their eyes seemed to glaze over in thought. The elevator slid back open to a grey hallway. Your eyes scanned the monochrome area.

“This is the capital?” The two in the elevator moved past you without answering. You had sensed the drop in the mood right after Frisk had mentioned the king. You followed the two down the hallway, glancing around at the walls. The grey made you feel nervous after the colorful areas of the underground. It hit you with an extreme sense of foreboding, especially with your traveling companions being so quiet. Ahead of you, you could see the entrance to a house. You scrunched up your face when the two of them moved to the front door.

“Are we going through someone’s house?” Neither of them looked back at you, but Frisk quietly told you that it was the king’s house as Papyrus swung open the door.  
“We’re just gonna wander through his house?” Neither of them answered, simply walking inside and continuing down a staircase that sat in front of the door.  
“Right. Breaking and entering. Fantastic.” You followed after them begrudgingly. You looked at the doorway behind you and slowly pulled it closed. It would be rude to leave it open, after all.

You quickly followed the two down a set of stairs, bypassing the branching hallways of the house. Your company was oddly quiet as you made your way down the hallway at the bottom of the stairs. Despite being able to sense the atmosphere, you felt a bit left out. What memories did this area bring back for them? You frowned and picked up your pace so that you were walking beside Frisk and Edge. The three of you reached a large door at the end of the hallway. Edge took a deep breath before pushing it open. Your eyes widened slightly at the room that was in front of you. You took a step forward, and a gloved hand moved infront of you.

“THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE. IF YOU ARE GOING TO TURN BACK LIKE A SNIVELING BABY BONES, NOW IS YOUR CHANCE.” You pulled your eyes from his hand and trailed your gaze to his eyes, meeting them with a spark of determination.

“I made a promise. I don’t intend to break it.” You smirked at him,” Thanks for the concern, though.” He scoffed and looked away from you.

“CONCERN? AS IF. I WOULD NEVER BE CONCERNED ABOUT A PATHETIC FLESHIE SUCH AS YOURSELF.” You chuckled slightly, throwing him a playful wink.

“I donno, I think I’m growing on you, Boss.” He crossed his arms and shoved passed you into the corridor without a reply, but you noticed the reddish tint on his cheekbones. You turned your attention to Frisk, who was nervously wringing their hands next to you. You put a hand on their shoulder.

“You ready, kiddo?” They gave you a nervous smile.

“I’m- uh.” They looked down the corridor, the smile dropping quickly, “I don’t really like this place. It has… bad memories.” You nodded in understanding, your attention following their eyes down the hall. The bright yellow rays of light from the stained glass windows threw the hall into an almost breathtaking golden glow. Towards the end of the hall, the figure of Edge stood with a shorter figure who you assumed to be Red. Both of them were almost completely cast in the shadow of one of the towering pillars. You held out a hand for Frisk.

“Well, the underground won’t free itself without us, I suppose.” They nodded and grabbed your hand tightly. The two of you stepped into the corridor, making your way to the figures at the end. The edgier version of the brothers turned to you as you approached.

“THE THRONE ROOM LIES JUST AHEAD.” You looked over towards the next doorway. Red cleared his throat, effectively gaining your attention.

“it… uh. might be a bit hard to convince the king not to… well…” He trailed off, looking to his brother.

“THERE IS A VERY GOOD CHANCE THAT THE KING WILL ATTEMPT TO KILL YOU ON SIGHT.” You let out a humorless chuckle, and gave Edge a sarcastic look.

 

“Oh, so… Just like you did after that crazy rabbit lady told you about us?” He cocked his head at you. You looked to the other two, who had confused expressions.

“WHO?” Before you could get a word in, he continued. “NEVERMIND. YOUR RAMBLINGS ARE UNIMPORTANT. WITH ME AND SANS FOLLOWING YOU IN, THERE IS A MUCH BETTER CHANCE THAT HE WILL LISTEN TO REASON BEFORE ATTACKING… PROBABLY.” You let out a sigh and turned to Red.

“Right, well in that case, I need a game plan.” You held out a hand to him. “Did you learn anything about the watch?” He nodded, dropping the watch into your hand.

“some. ‘s pretty hard to figure something out when it won’t work for ya.” You frowned down at it.

“So, you mean it’s broken? I can't use it?” He shook his head.

“not what i said. I can’t use it. but you... you can. it matches up exactly to the frequency that your soul emits. which means, that because every soul is different, you are the only one that can use it. or, seeing as how you can just poof around into other universes, any version of you can use it, i guess.” You made a humming noise and pulled the watch open.

“Good to know. But do you know how I can make it work? You know, so that I can, as you put it, ‘poof around into other universes’?” He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“eh… not really. s’ a bit more complicated than i thought, ‘specially without the one who can actually make it work.” You nodded and clicked the watch closed, shoving it into your pocket as you did so.

“How fast do you think that you figure it out if you needed to now that I’m here?” He seemed to think about it for a few seconds before giving you a shrug. You nodded and filed that in the back of your mind as a ‘plan B’ of sorts. You took a deep breath and squared your shoulders.

“No time better than the present, hm? Let’s do this.”

The door swung open to reveal a large square room that was blanketed in bright yellow flowers. At the very end, there stood a large red throne. In front of the chair stood an imposingly large figure conversing with a significantly smaller one. Both of them looked to the door as you took a few steps forward, stopping at the edge of the flower bed. The eyes of the king quickly scanned you and your party. His eyes landed on the skeleton brothers, and his expressionlessness fell into a harsh frown. Before he could say anything, the smaller reptilian monster moved toward you.

Her mouth was twisted into a sinister grin that sent chills up your spine. She adjusted her glasses so that a glare fell onto them, preventing you from seeing her eyes. You saw her head move slightly, indicating that she was now looking at one of the people behind you.

“See, sire? I told you that he was in possession of not one, but two humans.” Asgore took a single step forward, pulling a large red trident from seemingly nowhere.

“I see. Thank you for bringing them to me. I will be sure that you get proper recognition once their souls are in my hands, and the barrier is finally broken.” You readied yourself to move as you noticed his fist tightening on the weapon. Before either of you could move, the brothers moved between you and the King. You took the opportunity to move frisk safely behind you. The King straightened and glared at the brothers.

“I will only ask once. Move.” A maniac laugh brought your attention from the standoff to the edgy version of Alphys.

“A betrayal! How in character! I would expect nothing less from you, Papyrus. After you killed Undyne in cold blood, I wouldn’t put anything past you. Stealing the souls, though? That seems pretty low, but not surprising. After all, you’re just-“

“ _Stop_.” You surprised even yourself when you pushed past your friends. “That is enough. He’s not here to take your already stolen souls. He’s here to help me break the barrier.” Alphys seemed to hesitate, looking to the king.

“Lies! She’s lying! I say that-“ You took another sep towards the king, confidently holding your stance and ignoring her.

“Take me to the barrier, please.” He gave you an amused look.

“You think you can break the barrier with just your sheer will-power?” You didn’t answer, but held his gaze. He let out a humorless chuckle, “Alright, then prove to me that you can do it. Prove to me that you are worthy.” He lowered his head and pulled the trident in front of him. You took another step towards him.

“Nobody has to get hurt. I will not attack you.” His eyes met yours.

“Then I suppose that this will be a short fight.” He pulled the trident behind him before vaulting it toward you. You braced to jump out of the way.

… But you didn’t have to. A wall of fire erupted in front of you, and you quickly jumped back a few feet. You still felt the heat on your skin. You looked back to the doorway to see another almost familiar face. And she seemed pissed.

“Asgore.” He seemed surprised to see her.

“Toriel? What are you doing here?” She took a few more steps toward him.

“Putting an end to this. It has gone on for long enough.” He scowled.

“I don’t think you understand. We only need one more soul! And I have two right here!” This seemed to further her rage.

“One of them is a child, Asgore! Haven’t we lost enough of those?! I cannot believe that you would stoop so low as to hurt a kid!” He gestured to you, who had opted to move to the side awkwardly as the argued.

“What about her? She’s an adult!”

“Yes, an adult who just offered to willingly break the barrier!” He scoffed.

“That’s impossible! She can’t break the barrier while her soul is still in her body!” Toriel’s fists lit up in a bright orange flame.

“How do you know that?! Have you ever tried?!” He seemed to hesitate at the question.

“Well, no… But-“  
She held up a hand and turned towards the brothers, who had been silently watching the commotion.

“Thank you for getting them here safely.” She then turned toward Frisk and gave them a soft smile, “I knew you could make it. I’m proud of you! I suppose I have your… friend to thank, hm?” She seemed a bit uncomfortable at your presence. “I don’t think We’ve met. I am Toriel.” She made no move towards you.

“(Y/N)” You gave her an awkward nod, which she returned.

“You wish to break the barrier. Why?” She didn’t trust you. You could see it in her gaze. Before you could answer, she moved back over to Asgore. “It does not matter, I suppose. If you really with to break the barrier, then follow me.” She walked past Asgore and Alphys, who was silently seething.

You turned back to the brothers. “That went better than expected, I guess.” They nodded.

“ ‘s lucky the old lady came when she did.” Red seemed very matter-of-fact in that. Edge nodded in agreement.

“DESPITE YOUR BELIEFS, YOU COULD NOT HAVE TAKEN ON… HUMAN?” Your eyes fell on the door that led to the corridor, the feeling coming back stronger. You could feel yourself sway slightly as your head filled with a sparkly static feeling. You slowly brought your hands up to your head.

“Are you okay, (Y/N)?” You felt Frisk’s hand tugging on the hem of your coat, but you couldn’t answer them. Something was coming from that hallway. A loud crackle it noise echoed in your ears, but it didn’t seem like anyone else noticed it. Or at least you hadn’t thought so, until Frisk pulled away from you and turned towards the hallway. They focused on something for a second before giving a panicked look to Red.

“Sans, I can’t load!” He looked down at them, a confused look on his face.

“whaddya mean, you can’t?” The hugged thier arms around themselves and gave you a concerned look.

“It’s like… like all of my save points are just gone! I can’t even- I can’t even reset!” He tensed up and looked back to you, who was pressing your hands to your temple and trying to stay upright. Your breathing was beginning to speed up.

“There’s!... It’s…” You couldn’t get more than one word out at a time with the way your head was swimming. You shakily pointed to the door that your group had come from. All eyes in the room fell on the door. You could vaguely make out the noise of a scoff as a yellow figure moved to the door.

“What kind of trick are you trying to pull now, human?” She pulled the door open and looked down the corridor.

… Or, at least where the corridor had been. Now, there was only white. A familiar empty white. You began shaking your head, and fell back. You began pushing yourself back with your feet. Alphys turned to you angrily.

“What have you done? What is this?” You were looking to the doorway with wide eyes.

“It’s… nothing. It’s gone.” Red began moving towards the door, and you quickly scrambled towards him. After taking a handful of his jacket, you pulled him back towards the flower bed.

“Please don’t,” You pleaded with him. You could feel his eyes on you, but your soul focus was the doorway. You heard a scoff from the edgier version of Alphys.

“How did you do this? Did Sans help you?” She shot a glare in your direction. You let go of Red and rushed toward the small monster, who had begun stepping through the doorway.

“I don’t know what kind of grudge you have against the brothers, but please don’t do that. I don’t know how I know this, but if you go in there, you probably won’t come back.” She ignored you and continued forwards. You tried your best to stop her from passing the doorway.

But you got there too late. You stopped a few feet from the door as her eyes scanned the emptiness. She turned back to you. Her mouth was moving as if she were speaking, but no sound met your ears. She seemed to notice this too, as she looked around again, this time with a confused expression on her face. Your eyes widened as you noticed her hands. They were fading! She followed your wide-eyed stare and pulled her hands up to look at them. Then, you could see the panic set in on her face. You felt a presence move up behind you.

“shit.” Your mouth opened and closed a few times in astonishment. She had taken a few steps back, putting her arms as far away from her body as possible. You knew it wouldn’t help. She was just… disappearing. It was almost as if… She was fading out of existence itself. You shook off your stupor and moved toward the door. A boney hand grabbed your wrist. You looked back at Red, who was slowly shaking his head.

“you can’t save ‘er, doll.” You looked back at the doorway for a few seconds before pulling your eyes away from the frantic monster. You turned fully from the door. There was no way you could watch anymore. You knew that there was nothing you could have done, but it didn’t make you feel any less horrible.

You heard the doors swing closed, though you didn’t know who did it. Your head was still a bit fuzzy, and honestly, you just wanted to go home. The room sat in silence for a few seconds before you felt a hand tug on your arm. You looked down at Frisk, who looked like they were on the verge of tears. Without a word, you pulled them into a hug, your eyes looking to the other inhabitants of the room. They had moved into a group, and were murmuring amongst themselves. You looked back to the door. Despite not seeing the vast white, you still felt the danger that was behind it. None of you were safe in here, and you knew it. But… why was it there? Where had it come from? And how far did it extend? You looked back to the group. They were all eyeing you. All except for this universe’s version of Sans, who looked like he was concentrating on something.

“Red, is the rest of the underground-“

“gone.” All eyes moved to him. This time, it was the king who replied.

“Gone? What do you mean?” Red gave a nervous glance to the tall monster.

“it doesn’t exist anymore.” The room fell into silence again after that. Your eyes moved back to the door. They widened slightly at the small amount of white that seemed to be growing from the bottom of it.

“It’s not gonna stop.” You didn’t know how you knew that. You rushed towards the group and pulled your watch out of your pocket.

“Red, we have to leave,” You shoved it towards him, “Right now.” He looked down at the watch and pulled it into his hands.

“What is that? What are you doing?” Toriel seemed to be a bit frantic. You looked over to the goat woman.

“It’s your way out. I hope you won’t mind a trip to another dimension.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowzers, I’m super sorry that this was so late. I have no excuse other than I am a horrible person. But hey, at least it updated! And things happened! And the chapter is a bit longer than usual! The story line advances!! Also, apparently I like killing off minor characters! But, I mean, in all fairness, I can only keep track of so many alternate versions of minor characters. (So apparently my solution is to kill them?) ANyways, I’ll see you next update!


	17. Home Again, Home Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You would like to leave this universe. It’s honestly kinda a downer.

You met the odd looks of everyone in the room. Judging from their blank stares, the monsters did not seem to understand your words. You ignored the look and focused on the two in the room that you knew would help. Wordlessly, Red tore his gaze from you and focused on the watch. You moved your attention once again, this time to Frisk. They stood facing the door, eyes glazed over.

“Listen, I need you to explain what’s happening to the others.” You gently put a hand on their shoulder, “Can you do that for me?” They blinked once. Twice. It took them a second to reply.

“I- I couldn’t save them.” The heartbreak you heard in their soft voice was enough to bring you to the verge of tears. Your grip tightened.

“I couldn’t either. But... I don’t think there’s anything we can do for them now.” You turned them around to face you before lowering yourself slightly so that the two of you were eye to eye. “I know that what happened is horrible… and I can see in your eyes that you’re blaming yourself. Please don’t do that. I need you to stay strong. This… Thing… It won’t stop. There are still people that need our help.” You gestured to the monsters behind you. “They need your help.” They looked behind your shoulder. For a few seconds, they did nothing else. Then you saw Frisk’s eyes snap back into focus. They gave you a determined nod before moving toward the two goat monsters and the taller brother.

You took a deep breath and faced Red once again. He gave you a short glance as you rushed up to him.

“Alright, Red. Tell me how I can help.” You looked back towards the door, eyes catching the brightness of the white spilling from underneath it. You tensed and reached toward the watch. Your hands hovered near the skeleton’s.

“We’ve gotta hurry,” You insisted. He didn’t move his focus from the trinket, only giving you a small grunt in return. Your ears faintly registered Frisk speaking to the other monsters in a quiet voice, but your focus was solely on the skeleton in front of you and the device in his hands.

“gimme your hand.” You put a hand out immediately. He pulled you harshly towards him, and you followed his lead with nothing more than a slight hitch in your breath and a flash of confusion across your features. Despite your disorientation, you turned yourself around to face the watch. You leaned over to see the device better, now close enough to Red that you were slightly pressed against his side. He shifted so that you could easily reach the watch.

“what did you do to activate it the first time?” You reached for the watch in order to show him, but he quickly yanked it away from you. “nuh-uh, doll. tell, don’t show. i don’t wanna end up somewhere i can’t get back from. way i see it, we only got one chance, and i don’t really wanna end up in a black hole or somethin’.” You recoiled back slightly at the thought.

“Right. I didn’t really press anything, but I do remember running my fingers around the edges.” You gestured to the crystalline hearts embedded around its face. He narrowed his eye sockets at them, letting out a low mumble that you couldn’t quite understand despite how close you were to him.

“clockwise?” The question caught you off gaurd. You looked over to him, making a questioning noise. “which way did you do that?” You thought for a second, but when you didn’t immediately respond, Red glared over at you.

“Clockwise? I think.”

“you think? how the hell do you not know?”

“Why would I? I was a bit busy focusing on being magically teleported!”

A low growl came from the skeleton next to you, “just try harder. how hard could it possibly be to remember a direction?”

You pulled away from him and crossed your arms, “Are you really trying to argue with me right now? I gave you a direction, now get off my ass!”

He angrily shoved the watch back to you, “fine!”

You held your hands up, avoiding touching the watch. “Unless you know what I need to do with that thing, you’d better not be giving it back.” His scowl seemed to deepen.

“i know what you need to do, probably. you’re just the only one who can work the damn thing. just go counter-clockwise.”  
You gave him a deadpan stare, “Really? And you’re sure that’ll work?” He gave you a bitter grin.

“no, but you got a better idea, doll?” You looked back to the door, which was quickly being consumed by the nothingness. A breath of air escaped your lips in the form of a sigh.

“....Alright.” You took the watch from him hesitantly. You looked at him, this time with a conviction in your eyes. “Alright. How does this work? Do I have to be touching the people to take them with me… or?”

“if it works the same way that my shortcuts work, then yeah.” Your eyes wandered to the group of monsters that were waiting on the other side of the throne room.

“You know, for some reason I feel that they aren’t really the touchy-feely type.” He followed your gaze.

“guess they’ll have to get over it.” You know you would have chuckled at that if the situation weren’t dire. You looked down at the watch, and then back up to the group. You nodded over at Red and made your way over to them. You cleared your throat to get their attention unnecessarily.

“So, I know you won’t like this, but I know how to get out. Probably. But, it will require a group hug and a different universe.” The three tall monsters glared down at you with different expressions. Asgore stepped forward.

“Are you proposing that I leave my whole kingdom? I will not. I am no coward.” Edge scoffed and crossed his arms.

“WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, YOUR HIGHNESS, YOUR KINGDOM IS GONE. THERE IS NOTHING LEFT HERE FOR ANY OF US.” The darker and significantly more intimidating version of Toriel nodded after Edge’s words.

“He is correct. Your stubbornness is only going to get you killed.” He growled as his eyes moved between the two of them. You held out the watch.

“I know that our universes are different, but… monsters are on the surface back home. And, I mean, sure, It’s not perfect, but a lot of people are trying to do good for the monsters back home.” You felt Frisk’s hand take yours. They gripped tighter for a second and smiled up at you, flashing a thumbs up with their other hand. You gave them a small nod of appreciation before looking back to the monsters. “I won’t lie to you, it won’t be easy, but you always have a place there.” You felt Red’s presence behind you before you felt his hand on your shoulder. You made eye contact with each of the monsters in front of you. Edge, with an unreadable, almost calculating stare, The king, with a hard-set glare, and Toriel. Her eyes were not on you, but the child at your side. The look in her eyes was soft. Her attention, however, quickly snapped to you, a hard expression taking up her face fast enough to give you whiplash.

“With or without him, I am taking Frisk somewhere safe.” She walked over to your side, grabbing your arm and pulling Frisk close to her. You gave her a curb nod and made your eyes met the sockets of the taller brother. You gave him a small smile. He quickly looked to the side, letting out a soft scoff.

“DON’T GIVE ME PUPPY DOG EYES. I HATE PUPPIES. AND I’M GOING ANYWAYS, WHETHER YOU BEG ME OR NOT. ALTHOUGH…” A devious look crossed his face and you shook your head.

“I’m not begging, and I’m sure you don’t hate puppies.” You flicked your head back. “Now get over here, before I leave you behind.” You felt bones digging into your shoulder. Red was looking at you with narrowed sockets.

“not funny.” You rolled your eyes. After a brief head shake, you looked to Asgore. He made a low growl and stomped over to you. You shied away slightly as he stood over you. He then roughly grabbed the shoulder that was not occupied by Red. He said no words, but broke the glare he was giving you and looked to the queen. While the silent conversation went on between them, you looked to the only one that wasn’t holding you.

“Well, Boss? You coming, or what?” He held out an arm, and you quickly linked it with your own. You looked down at the watch in your free hand and took a deep breath. “Well, Here goes nothing.” You looked over your shoulder at Red, “If we get lost in a black hole or something, I’m gonna kick your ass.” With that, you followed Red’s instructions, and felt a familiar pull.

You blinked away the blinding white and looked to both sides of you. They were all still there. You hadn’t lost anyone. You grinned down at Frisk who talked you in a hug almost instantly after meeting your eyes. You heard the crunch of gravel as the monsters took a few steps away from you. You pulled Frisk closer as you felt a sob shake them. As you quietly hushed them, you looked up to see a familiar building. You were home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess Who’s back! (Me. The answer is me.) I’m super sorry for leaving you guys!! My internet was down... But it is back up now!! And a cliffhanger has been resolved (After way too long. Sorry one more time.) Thank you all for your nice comments and being so patient with me! You can leave me a message if you’d like, in a comment or at my Tumblr (Which doesn’t have a lot of undertale, but it does have cute animals and bad jokes!!) and I will for sure answer back. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter, Dispite it being both late and shorter than usual... 
> 
> See you soon!
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lost-immortality


	18. Gotta Keep Your Head Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You’re home again, and you brought guests.

Your eyes scanned the group around you, who were all looking directly at the sky. You followed their gaze to see the sun barely peeking over the horizon, throwing the morning sky into a glowing pink color. On the opposite side of the sky, clusters of stars were just barely visible through the morning light. No matter how many times you had seen it, the sunrise still took your breath away.

Your attention quickly moved to the building in front of you. You let your arms gently fall off of the child that was still holding on to you. With a careful pull, you moved them towards the Toriel of the universe you had just returned from. She gave you a hard look and took them from your hands, instantly pulling them into a tight embrace. You turned to your house and made your way to the door. You could hear the crunch of footsteps in the gravel behind you. Without sparing a glance to whoever was beside you, you swung the door open and called into the empty silence.

“Hello! I’m back!” Before you could ask if anyone was home, you heard the heavy thud of what was undoubtedly Papyrus running down the stairs. You took a few more steps into the foyer as you saw him sprinting in your direction. Seeing that he was not slowing down, you braced yourself for impact. A small ‘omph’ came from you as you were tackled by the boisterous skeleton. He easily lifted you into a spin.

“YOU’RE BACK! I’M SO GLAD THAT YOU ARE SAFE!” You chuckled slightly as he set you back on your feet. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Sans lean through the living room doorway.

“i see you’re still alive.” You turned toward him with a small smile.

“Well, I didn’t end up in a black hole, so that’s a positive.” You hesitated slightly and bit your lip in thought. “You know where I was, yeah?” You continued before he could answer. “Sorry, that was a stupid question. You did speak to another version of yourself, after all.” You turned back towards the doorway of your house, gesturing to the monster that had followed you up to your doorway that had gone previously unnoticed by your housemates. “We have a bit of a problem.” Seeing that they now noticed him, you gestured Edge inside.

“You are allowed inside my house, you know. My house is yours for now.” The three skeletons looked at each other tensely. “So, I, uh… maybe brought people back with me?” The house fell into silence. You rolled on your feet slightly as Sans and Edge locked gazes, seemingly sizing each other up. Papyrus’s grin almost seemed tense for a second, but the expression left as he held out his hand.

“HELLO THERE, OTHER ME! I’M GLAD TO MEET YOU! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, THOUGH I’M SURE YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT!” Edge hesitantly took his hand, and Papyrus instantly shook it with gusto. “THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR GETTING MY FRIEND BACK HOME SAFELY!” Edge looked back at you with a tense expression. You gave him a small smile and threw a wink in his direction. He immediately broke eye contact with you.

“can i ask why you thought it was a good idea to bring other versions of us out of their own timeline and into ours?” Sans was now leaning against the doorway to the living room, eyeing the monsters in the yard behind you. You took a breath preparing for a long story.

“They… it was-“

“she didn’t have much of a choice.” You blinked at Red. When had he moved behind you? “our ‘universe’ or whatever you wanna call it was fallin’ apart. ‘s almost like it was…” he trailed off, lost in thought for a few seconds before two towering figures stood in your doorway. A smaller one pushed through them before arriving by your side.

“FRISK! YOU LOOK SO MUCH OLDER!” They gave you an odd look. You smiled down at them. They nodded and scrunched up Their face slightly.

“So what are we gonna do?” You tilted your head at the kid’s question.

“What do you mean?” You asked in return. They looked around at the monsters in the room.

“There are already versions of us here… and none of us really have a place to go until we figure things out.” You gave them a surprised look.

“You are always welcome to stay with me,” You looked around to the others in the room, “ any of you. But, you do bring up a good point.” You turned to Papyrus.  
“Would you mind calling up King Asgore for me? It’s probably best that he and Toriel know that there are other versions of them wandering around.”  
He stood up as straight as he could and gave you a mock salute.

“I NEED TO LET THEM KNOW YOU ARE HOME SAFE, ANYWAYS.” He then rushed out of the room. Your gaze lingered on his retreating form for a few seconds before you turned back to the group that you brought.

“Like I said, you are all free to stay here. But if you would prefer something else, let me know and I will do what I can.” You took a few more steps towards the stairs. “Until you figure out what you want to do, you are welcome to anything in here.” You made a few vague gestures. “Kitchen and the living room are over there, there’s a library there, and upstairs are bedrooms.” You sat down on the bottom step, happy to finally get a breather. After a few seconds of watching you hesitantly, the group dispersed. You leaned your head against the wall, looking up at those who remained. The taller of the edgy brothers was examining the room, occasionally glancing at the stairs behind you. Red meandered towards you and plopped down on the step next to you. Sans had moved out of the doorway to let Toriel and Frisk pass, and was instead resting against the wall giving you a curious look. You ignored it and instead turned to face Red.

“Thanks for the help. Y’know, with the watch? And for-“ He held up a hand.

“i’m gonna stop you right there, doll. i didn’t do it for you. if I hadn’t of done anything, we all woulda died.” You frowned and shook your head.

“I don’t care what your motivations were, you still got us out of there. I wouldn’t have been able to do it on my own. I’m sorry I couldn’t save-“ you were interrupted again, this time by Edge.

“DON’T APOLOGIZE FOR THINGS THAT ARE OUT OF YOUR CONTROL. IT’S STUPID AND POINTLESS. BEING SORRY DOESN’T CHANGE ANYTHING. THEY’RE GONE. THERE WAS NOTHING YOU COULD DO. END OF STORY.”

“But what if I caused it just by being there? What if it’s my fault that- that people are gone?” You could feel tears begin to well up in your eyes. “I can’t… I couldn’t-“ you put head in your hands and took a shakey breath. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t fast enough...or-or strong enough, or smart-“ at this point, your words were getting choppy, and you brought your knees to your chest.

You felt a hand on your shoulder. It gently rubbed back and forth for a few seconds before a sob escaped, Despite your trying to keep it in. You were pulled into a gentle embrace. You slowly wrapped your arms around them in return. The soft timbre of Sans murmuring that everything was going to be okay was what set you off. You wrapped your arms tighter around him, grabbing fistfuls of his hoodie and burying your face into the front of him. You could hear him softly shush you through your sobs and hiccups. You murmured out a few more apologies before you began to calm down. You slowly pulled away from him and wiped your eyes with a small sniffle. You looked at Sans with a small, but sincere, smile.

“I… thank you.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away sheepishly, giving you a small shrug. The four of you sat in silence for a few seconds before you quickly stood up from you seat on the step. You forced a smile and looked back at the skeletons.

“Well, I think that it’s about time for breakfast. Eggs and Bacon?” You nodded to yourself before moving out of the room. You could feel their gazes on you as you left for the kitchen.

It was only a few minutes before you were joined in the kitchen by Papyrus, who had finished his phone call, and Edge. The latter of the two had been looking over your shoulder as you cooked since he had found his way to the kitchen. You were now cooking for an extra large group, as Papyrus had informed you that he invited everyone over. You could understand why the king and queen were invited, but Undyne and Alphys were a mystery to you. You briefly glanced back at the red and black clad monster behind you at the thought of Undyne. Hopefully there wouldn’t be any problems, but with your luck? Who knows.

You yelped slightly as the bacon popped unexpectedly, causing grease to splatter on you. You pulled your hand away from the stove, flicking it slightly. Papyrus’ attention was immediately on you at the noise of distress.

“ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” You chuckled slightly, a genuine smile lifting up your face.

“It was just a bit of hot oil, nothing I can’t handle. I’m fine, Paps.” He glared at the splattering pan. You chuckled once again, “You’re looking at that pan like it just stole your food and married your girlfriend. If it bothers you so much, you can avenge my hand by eating it’s bacon offspring.” Papyrus gave you a confused sputter. With a flourish you handed him a piece of finished bacon. “WHA-“ he glanced between you and the offending food several times, but before he could take it, another hand beat him to it.

“YOU ARE THE ODDEST CREATURE I HAVE EVER MET.” You winked at Edge.

“Why thank you. I try extra hard to be an enigma at all points in time.” He gives you an odd look and shakes his head before biting into the bacon. You looked back to Papyrus, giving him a big grin.

“Cooking tip number 5: bacon in the most dangerous food to cook.” He gave you a serious nod, looking like he took the joke to heart. You turned back to your pan and pulled the last few pieces out it’s as the doorbell rang.

“I WILL GET IT!” You winced at the volume of his shout. At least you know that everyone else heard him. Papyrus rushed out of the room to answer the door. You looked over at Edge.

“Listen, I don’t know what happened between you and Undyne, and you don’t have to tell me, but know that the Undyne in this universe is not the same as yours was.” He narrowed his eyes at you slightly before looking towards the doorway Papyrus had run through.

“I AM WELL AWARE. FROM WHAT I’VE SEEN, EVERYTHING IN THIS UNIVERSE IS…” he was trying to find the right word.

“Soft? Fluffy? Weak? Nicer?” He slowly nodded.

“YES.” You gave him a soft smile.

“I see.” You gestured to the plates. “‘would you mind helping me out with those?” He scoffed but grabbed them anyways. You led him into the dining room just as you could hear the loud voices of your guests echo through from the foyer.

“Thank you for your help.” Edge shrugged and made his way out of the dining room. You followed after a second or two of rearranging the dishes you set out on the table. Nothing like a fancy egg and bacon breakfast to start the day.

Upon entering the room, you were tackled into a hug. They pulled away before you could hug them back and pulled out their phone.  
_‘I’m glad you’re safe! We were all worried_!’ You chuckled slightly as the phone was pushed into your vision by the over excited child.

“Well, I’m sorry that I worried you guys.” You looked up at the faces around you. Man, alternate versions were going to get very confusing, very quickly. The king, the one from your dimension, approached you and held out a hand.

“Howdy. I do not believe that we have formally met, though I have heard much about you.” He squinted at you slightly. “Although, I do recognize you from somewhere.” His eyes lit up in recognition.

“Ah, Yes! The conference! You were the one concerned about our wellbeing!” You chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of your neck.

“Thank you for your kindness.” You could feel your face heating up.

“Don’t worry about it, just, y’know, basic human decency, and all that jazz.”  
A hollow thud sounded through the room as a hand came down heavily on your back. You wheezed slightly as you turned to the fish lady.

“Glad to see you back in one piece, punk.” You rolled your eyes.

“Why did everyone assume I would come back in more than one piece? I am perfectly fine, oh ye of little faith.” She laughed loudly.

“Guess you’re not a squishy as you look!” You shook your head in a playful manner and turned to the edgy counterparts.

“I think we have better things to talk about than how squishy I am.” You gestured towards the dining room. “Why don’t we have some breakfast?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, hello there! Nice to see you again! Here’s another chapter for you! If there is one thing to learn from this chapter, it’s that reader is usually pretty good at keeping her emotions in check. Also, fun fact: her college minor was theatre! Just in case any of you were wondering. Which you probably weren’t. But now, you might be wondering what her major was? Is this note at all important to the story? 
> 
> Probably not.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for reading :)


	19. The New Housemates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even though you’re a bit sad, you spend some time with your dudes.

With a heavy sigh, you leaned back against the door that your guests had just left through. That might have been the longest breakfast of your life. Although, it did turn out slightly better than you had expected it to. Despite the small areas of the conversation where monsters began talking over each other, the situation was worked out quite well between the sets of royalty. Did the darker version of Toriel and Asgore still count as royalty in this dimension? You didn’t know, and honestly, you could care less about the politics. You were sure that they would work it out. Especially now that they had left with the king and queen of this place, as well as the more boisterous pair of Alphys and Undyne.

Which left you with an extra pair of skeleton brothers. They had taken meeting their doubles in stride. Well, they took it better than you know you would have, anyways. You stood back up from against the door and made your way to the dining room. You were met with a silent room as four sets of eye sockets looked towards you. You looked between the newest addition to your housemates and gave them a nod.

“So...uh.” And that was where your sentence ended. Eloquent. As per usual. You gathered your thoughts better and took a breath, starting over.

“You guys are probably going to be staying a while?” When they made no move to answer you, you continued, “Right, that was a dumb question. The bedrooms are upstairs. You can pick whichever ones you want.” You looked to the other brothers. “Sans and Paps got first dibs on the rooms though, so choose ones that aren’t already taken.” You began moving into the kitchen to begin cleaning the dishes that had piled up from your breakfast. You turned the water on to the mildly scalding temperature it was usually at before letting your mind wander.

Were the monsters from the darker universe the ‘them’ that the creepy dream Frisk was talking about? You didn’t really feel like you saved anybody. Were there more universes that they wanted you to get involved in? You… honestly hoped that there weren’t. You don’t think that you could take another failure like the one that happened before. But maybe… Maybe there was a way to bring the universe back? You scoffed. Even if there was, what could you possibly do? You weren’t some all powerful deity that could just manipulate time and space with a snap of your fingers. You hadn’t asked for any of this, so why you? Why were you the one that had to deal with all of this? It wasn’t fair to you or any of the poor monsters that you had failed to save.

“MISS (Y/N)! WOULD YOU-“ You jumped slightly at Papyrus’s voice, but quickly recovered. You turned to see him looking at you worriedly. He reached out a gloved hand and gently wiped at your cheek. Shit. You hadn’t even noticed that you had been crying.

“Are You Alright?” You let out a humorless chuckle.

“Yeah, Paps. I’m… I’ll be fine.” He gave you a disbelieving look. “Really. I promise.” He shook his head and pulled you into a hug.

“You Are Obviously Not! I Will Not Make You Talk About It If You Do Not Want To, But Know That I Am Always Here To Listen If You Ever Need Me To.” You wrapped your arms around his rib cage. Somehow, he always managed to bring your mood up.

“... I know, Papyrus. Thank you. You really are the coolest.” He broke from your hug and took a step back from you. He placed a hand over the center of his chest, and the other rested on his hip. Hip bone? You didn’t know. You didn’t study to be that kind of doctor.

“WELL OF COURSE I AM! BUT THANK YOU FOR SAYING SO, HUMAN!” You smiled up at him.

“So, what did you need, anyways?” He dropped his pose and gave you a big grin.

“WELL, ME AND SANS NOTICED THE VIDEO GAME CONSOLES NEXT TO YOUR TELEVISION, AND WERE WONDERING IF WE COULD PLAY THEM!” You cocked your head at him.

“Of course you can, silly. You don’t need to ask for something like that.” His expression fell slightly and he looked away from you.

“I’VE NEVER ACTUALLY- WELL, WHAT I’M TRYING TO SAY...WE DIDN’T EVER REALLY GET MANY VIDEO GAMES IN THE UNDERGROUND.” Your eyes widened slightly in realization. You wouldn’t mind playing with the brothers. It would take your mind off of things, anyways.

“Oh! Well, I would love to show you some of my favorite games if you want!” His grin quickly returned, and he nodded quickly. You moved into the living room, Papyrus close on your heels. You stopped at the shelf next to your entertainment center and sat in front of it.

“Any preferences?” He leaned down and began scanning all of the titles on the shelves. He stood like that for a few more seconds before you turned your attention back to the shelf. Your eyes found one of the more colorful cases and you pulled it out.

“How about a multiplayer game? That way we can both play, and other people can join in if they want.” He looked over your choice and nodded in approval. Alright, Mario Kart it was, then. You figured that that one was one that Papyrus would enjoy. And, there was not really any violence that would earn you glares from Sans. You quickly dropped the game in and handed Papyrus a controller.

After a short rundown of the controls, you began a race. You went easy on the poor guy, but made sure to still give him a challenge. He did surprisingly well for his first time playing. You told him so, to which he responded with a hearty NYEH HE HE of accomplishment. You moved to start a new round, but felt a presence hovering over your shoulder. You looked up to see Sans leaning over the couch. He was looking down at you and his brother with a lazy smile. Papyrus seemed to notice him as well. He patted the spot between you to, and Sans happily sat down. You silently handed him another controller. He took it, eye sockets now focused on the screen. You started the next round sticking to the same method.

...only to get your ass handed to you. Oh, no. This would not fly. You narrowed your eyes at Sans, who was giving you a smug grin.

“you look like you just saw the dead, kid.” You huffed and sat up straighter.

“Alright, so that’s how it is. I hope you’re prepared to lose, boneman.” He raised a non-existent brow at your claim before looking back at the screen. You looked over to Papyrus, “Sorry Pap, but I’m not going easy this time.” He gave you a nod. You started the next round.

It was neck in neck. Much to your surprise, Sans had been giving you quite a run for your money, but you were still pulling ahead. That is, until you noticed Sans’ smirk grow from the corner of your eye. What was he up to? Then you heard a familiar beeping noise.

“ _You didn’t_.” He did. You almost screamed out in frustration when the blue shell impacted you, letting Sans take the lead. Why that dirty… You huffed. Once the round ended (With you in second, much to your annoyance) You stood up and faced Sans. You held out a hand to him.

“I acknowledge that you beat me in Mario Kart, but know that I will find a game that I will _demolish_ you in.” He chuckled and took your hand.

“good luck, kid. you’ll need it.” You narrowed your eyes at him. A challenge has been posed, and you will not step down.

“sorry to interrupt, er,” Red stood behind the couch, Edge behind him with his arms crossed, “whateva it is you’re doing.” You looked down to your hand that was still tightly gripping Sans. You dropped it to your side and held out a controller to Red.

“You’re not interrupting! Do you guys wanna play?” Red hesitantly took the controller from you, but Edge scowled.

“WHY WOULD I WASTE MY TIME ON SOMETHING SO STUPID?” You frowned. Papyrus shifted to face them.

“THAT’S NOT VERY NICE!” You gently put a hand on his shoulder. He looked back to you with a slightly troubled look. Your attention moved back to Edge.

“Because it’s fun? If you don’t want to play, you don’t have to. I just thought I’d offer.” He scoffed and made no move to take your remote that you were holding out to him. You noted that he made no move to leave, either. You shrugged and turned back to the others. Red was standing at the side of the couch unsurely. You looked the couch over. There was definitely enough room for him to fit, but maybe… He could have been uncomfortable with sitting that close to you. You decided not to take any offense to that, and slid down to the floor.

“what are you doing, doll?” You scooted forward and gestured to the couch behind you.

“You looked uncomfortable. ‘S not a big deal.” His cheekbones tinted red slightly.

“tha’s not why i- y’know, never mind. Thanks doll.” He fell back into your spot. You nodded and turned back to the T.V. You sighed before starting up another race. If one Sans was hard to beat… well, let’s just say you were in for a bad time.

  
By the time your little rag-tag group had put down your controllers, it was past lunchtime. You grumbled at your obvious defeat by the end. But you wouldn’t let that stop you! There were more games than just Mario Kart! You chuckled slightly at yourself before getting up and wandering towards the kitchen. You pulled open the fridge and leaned into it, scanning the shelves for anything of interest to you. When you didn’t find anything, you frowned and turned back around. Your breath hitched as you noticed the skeleton behind you. Apparently, he was not concerned about you being in his space, because Red was much too close to you.

“Um... Hi? How can I help you?” He took a step back.

“what are you doing?” You scrunched your face slightly.

“Getting food? Do you want something?” He shook his head in what seemed like irritation.

“look, i appreciate that you’re trying to help, but what are you doing with all of this? why are we here?” You sighed and felt your posture fall.

“I… I can’t answer that yet.” You looked away from him, “Do you want to go back?” To your surprise, he let out a chuckle.

“back? in case you hadn’t noticed, doll, our universe was kinda fucked before you even got there. i should be thanking you for getting me and my bro outta there.” You shook your head. And moved past him. He grabbed your wrist before you got too far.

“look, me and pap both know that you did your best back there.” You let out a breathy chuckle.

“Thanks for trying to make me feel better, I guess…” You trailed off. You didn’t want anyone to worry about you. You threw a smile on your face and gave him a wink.

“But… I think you missed an opportunity to say that your universe was boned.” His eye sockets widened in surprise before he let out a deep laugh, letting your arm go in the process. You gave him a nod and walked away before the conversation could continue. Before anyone else could catch you, you made your way to your room. You just needed a bit of time to process the last few days. Then, maybe you’d be ready to tackle whatever life could throw at you. With that bit of positivity, you nodded to yourself and jumped onto your bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!! Sorry that this is mostly a filler chapter... But hey! It’s an update!! Also, I know where I’m going with this story, and have a basic outline of the things that I want to happen... But I’m having a bit of trouble figuring out how to get from point A to point B.... Not that it particularly matters too much. I just hope you can’t really tell :/ As long as you guys still like what I’m writing I’m happy, though!! Thank you so much for reading my story, and I’m super sorry for such a long note. See you next update!


	20. A Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You see a familiar place. You sort of wish you hadn’t.

As you opened your eyes, you realized two things. The first was that you felt like you hadn’t slept at all the night before. The second was that you were in a place much to bright to be your room. You blinked once. Twice. You didn’t want to be here again. Why were you here again? You could feel your breath begin to speed up, and you could swear that your heart rate skyrocketed.

“Hello again. Sorry to bring you back to the Anti-void, but it’s really the only place I cant talk to you right now.” You quickly spun around to face the voice. The monochrome version of Frisk was staring up at you. Or, at least you assumed they were. It was hard to tell with the whole ‘no eyes’ thing. You let out a shaky breath and felt yourself fall back onto your rear. Your hands found themselves pulling on your hair slightly. You knew what this was. How could you not? It was a panic attack, and it was hitting you hard. Through your panic, you felt a small hand on your shoulder.

“I- I can’t be here. I can’t do this. I just…” You were having trouble making your voice reach any volume above a whisper.

“I’m sorry, but it’s not over yet.” A small sob escaped between your labored breathing.

“What’s not over? I don’t even understand what’s happening! It’s not fair!” You felt the hand leave your shoulder. Your eyes moved from the stark white at your feet to the child in front of you.

“I am aware that you don’t know what is going on. Neither of us can change what is happening. Even if I could, I don’t think I would give this task to anyone else. You were chosen to have that watch for a reason.”  
You could feel the tears run down your cheeks as you gave them a hopeless look.

“Why me? I didn’t ask for this. I don’t want it.” You mumbled the last sentence to yourself a few more times. You then turned to the child with a stern look.  
“This needs to go to someone else.”

“It can’t.”

“Why not?! You saw what happened the last time I tried to ‘save everyone’! They died! And now you’re probably going to ask me to do it again! You’re condemning people to die because I’m not good enough to save them!” They flinched back at your raised voice before giving you a gentle smile.

“I know you can do it. You will figure it out eventually. You just need to have hope.”

Your voice came out in a small whisper, “How long is eventually? How many more people will have to…” You sighed, finally calming your breath.

“If you don’t try to save them, then who will?” You pulled yourself into a pseudo-hug and looked away from the kid.

“I want to wake up now.”

“But-“

“Please.”

They sighed sadly, but your could feel your consciousness fade from the strange whiteness of the anti-void.

The blankets were shoved off to the side of your bed almost immediately as you stood up. You rubbed your eyes to find them, unsurprisingly, very wet. With a heavy sigh, you moved to your bathroom and your eyes met those of your reflection. They had the color and puffiness of those that had been crying for a solid amount of time. You turned the cold water on and splashed a few handfuls of it onto your face. You patted your face down with your towel before heading down to your kitchen. You wouldn’t be falling asleep soon, anyways. The house was dark and quiet, not that you expected any differently. You flicked on the light in the kitchen. A quick glance at the clock confirmed your suspicions. It was only two in the morning, or late night hot cocoa time. You knew for a fact the Papyrus didn’t wake up until around five or six. And Sans, well you usually didn’t see him until noon. You had your doubts that he actually did much sleeping at night, though. You figured that their counterparts wouldn’t have schedules that differed that much.

You poured the hot chocolate into a mug and began making your way back up to the roof. You made sure to pull your softest blanket off of your bed as you passed it. You pulled yourself up the ladder and stilled as your eyes met a familiar figure sitting in your spot. He seemed to have noticed you at about the same time because he stiffened up and turned around to face you.

“sorry. i can leave if you want.” Despite the frown you hadn’t been able to shake, you shook your head at him.

“You were here first. It would be a jerk move to kick you off the roof…” You walked up beside him and took a seat.  
“Besides, I told you-you could be up here whenever you’d like.” He nodded at you and looked back up at the sky. You followed suit and the roof fell into a still silence. You took a deep breath, the cold air creating a pleasant burn. The sky was little cloudy, but it was still just as breathtaking as always. In fact, the small wisps threw sparkling streaks of silver over the stars, making the sight look even more magical.

At this point, you had nearly finished your drink, and what was left was beginning to get cold. It was then that Sans decided to speak again. His voice, although coming out in almost a whisper, was still a loud contrast to the night air.

“do you have any siblings?” If you had felt any amount of relaxation at that point, it was gone almost immediately.

“That question came out of nowhere. Why do you want to know?” He tore his gaze from the sky and met yours.

“humor me?” You looked away and fiddled with your cup for a few seconds.

“I… yeah. I do.” He made a humming noise to acknowledge you.

“there’s a story behind that, isn’t there?” He gave you an expectant look. You shook your head. Your reply came out quiet and almost pleading.

“Look, after the night I’ve had, I’d rather not talk about my sister, or any of my past for that matter. Could you just… drop it for now?” He put his hands up in surrender.

“sure. sorry for prying.” You gave him a sad smile and looked back up at the sky.

The two of you fell back into silence. You stayed that way until you were certain that you could hear voices in the house below you, and the sky was beginning to turn a fiery red. Neither of you made any move to leave. At least, not until you heard the unmistakable sound of your names being called by the excitable skeleton in the house. You sighed and stood up, lurching forward slightly when you felt an unmistakable pins and needles feeling in your feet. You gasped and flailed your foot around wildly.

“what… what are you doing?” 

“My foot fell asleep!”

“what? i don’t… it fell asleep? and to wake it up, which is what i’m guessing you’re doing, you have to wiggle it? why?” You could hear a bit of humor lace his tone towards the end.

“It’s uncomfortable! And i need to get the circulation back to my foot.” He chuckled, and you playfully glared at him, “Don’t laugh at my misfortune!” He chuckled again as you put your foot back down.

“circulation, huh? so it’s a blood thing. humans are weird.” You huffed and left to go downstairs, leaving the skeleton behind you.  
As you opened your bedroom door, you were instantly met with an enthusiastic shout.

“AH! MISS (Y/N)! THERE YOU ARE!” You blinked up at him. How did he have that much energy this early in the morning? You had been up for hours, and yet you were still groggy from sleep.

“Um… good morning, Paps.”

“INDEED IT IS A GOOD MORNING! ALTHOUGH, I WAS A BIT CONCERNED THAT YOU DID NOT ANSWER YOUR DOOR AFTER THE SEVENTH TIME I KNOCKED.” He looked back into the room behind you. “WERE YOU SLEEPING?”

“Oh, geez,” you sheepishly scratched the back of your head, “Sorry to make you wait. I was on the roof.”  
He looked confused. You moved out of your doorway and gestured to the balcony doors.

“I have a ladder out there.” He nodded.

“I SEE! THAT IS VERY NEAT!” You shrugged.

“Did you… need something...or?” He nodded once again.

“YES! HAVE YOU SEEN MY BROTHER? HE WAS NOT IN HIS ROOM THIS MORNING WHEN I WENT LOOKING FOR HIM.”

“Yeah, he was-“

“m’ right here, bro.” Speak of the devil, you supposed. Sans’ voice came from behind Papyrus. The taller of the brothers quickly spun around.

“AH! WONDERFUL! NOW THAT I HAVE GATHERED BOTH OF YOU, I HAVE PREPARED A SPECIAL BREAKFAST FOR ALL OF US!” You looked between the two brothers.

“Oh. Alright. Thanks for letting me know.” You took a step back into your room, “I’m not really hungry right now, though.” Before you could close your door, Papyrus gently put his hand on it.

“ARE YOU FEELING ALRIGHT? YOU SEEM… OFF.” You shook your head.

“I’m… I’ll be fine. I just need to think for a bit. Maybe you can save me a bit?” He nodded and pulled his hand away.

“ALRIGHT. IF YOU SAY SO. LET ME KNOW IF I CAN HELP.” Without another word, you turned into your room and shut the door behind you.

Despite being two floors away from you, you could still here the voices of both Papyrus and occasionally Edge, though you couldn’t quite understand what they were saying. Maybe you were spending too much time in your head. Dwelling on the bad that happened in the past wouldn’t do you any good. You knew that, and yet… here you were again. In that split second you made a decision. You were done moping around. You stood back up from the little blanket nest you had made yourself about ten minutes prior and left the room, a new confidence in your stride.

When you reached the dining room, four sets of eyes landed on you. You met each of the gazes before your focus landed on Sans and Red.

 

“I want to try dimension jumping again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A wild chapter appears! 
> 
> The wild chapter used Plot! 
> 
> ... It was super effective!
> 
>  
> 
> ....Wow I am a nerd. Thank you all for reading my silly little story. I hope you’re all enjoying it!
> 
> Here’s a tumblr for you guys if you’d like. If not, that’s cool, too.
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lost-immortality


	21. An Idea.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You talk about dimensions and the watch with some of the brothers.

You were met with blank stares for a few seconds. Sans was the first to speak up.

“you sure? i don’t think it’s a good idea.” You frowned as Red nodded in agreement.

“he’s right, doll. if you ended up in a universe worse than mine… well, you wouldn’t stand a chance.” You crossed your arms.

“While I appreciate the support,” note the sarcasm, “I wasn’t asking for your permission. I can’t just ignore entire worlds disappearing when I can do something about it. If I have to do it alone, I will.” A gloved hand fell onto your shoulder.

“WELL, I BELIEVE IN YOU, HUMAN!” You smiled up at Papyrus.

“how do you know that any more universes are going to be affected by… whatever happened to mine?” Red was giving you a skeptical look. You sighed and took a seat at the table.

“I’ve been having these dreams.” At the looks you got, you groaned and pinched the bridge of your nose, “Look, I’m not crazy, okay. But I keep dreaming about Frisk.” At that, both versions of Sans leaned forward slightly.

“I mean, it’s not our Frisk,” You gestured to Red and Edge, who was standing above his brother, “And it’s not yours either.” You bit your lip in thought.  
“They’re always weirdly monochrome, and whenever I see them, it’s always in the same place.” You hesitated, and they waited quietly for you to continue. “I… don’t even know if I’d call it a place, really. It’s just… nothingness.” Sans tilted his head.

“like the void?” You shook your head.

“No, I felt the void when you teleported me. It’s different… It’s nothingness, but it was warm and really, really bright.” Sans seemed to get lost in his thoughts.

“SO LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT. YOU WANT TO GO TO POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS PLACES IN ORDER TO POSSIBLY RESCUE A BUNCH OF MONSTERS THAT YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW. WHY?” You blinked a few times at the question.

“It’s the right thing to do? I feel bad enough that I couldn’t save everyone in your universe. I don’t think I could just… let people be erased… And if I don’t try to save them, who will?”

“but it’s not your job to save them. you shouldn’t have to put yourself in danger for something you can’t control.” Red crossed his arms and looked at you defiantly.  
“do you even know how to stop it?” That made you pause. No, you didn’t. You had no idea. But, the creepy Frisk was right. You had to do something. You felt a spark of determination.

“I guess I’ll have to figure it out.” Seeing your expression, the shorter pair of skeletons decided not to argue with you anymore, knowing it would most likely get them nowhere.

“WHAT IF YOU BROUGHT US WITH YOU? THAT WAY, YOU WOULD HAVE THE GREAT PAPYRUS BY YOUR SIDE TO PROTECT YOU! AND ALSO SANS! HE IS CAPABLE OF… SOMETHING I’M SURE!” You immediately shook your head.

“Absolutely not, Paps. I’m not going to drag any of you into this. Like you all said, what I’m doing is dangerous. I can’t let any of you get hurt.”

“BUT, (Y/N)! I-“

“No, Papyrus.” His puppy-dog eyes would not work on you this time. Not when it came to his safety.

“YOU ARE… VERY ODD.” You tilted your head at Edge, and he continued.

“YOU INSIST ON OUR SAFETY, AND YET… YOU DON’T KNOW US. YOU MET ME AND S- RED BARELY TWO DAYS AGO. AND EVEN THESE TWO,” He motioned to Sans and Papyrus, “YOU’VE KNOWN FOR WHAT? A FEW WEEKS? EVEN BEFORE YOU KNEW ME, YOU REFUSED TO FIGHT ME. THAT IS WHAT’S GOING TO GET YOU KILLED. IN SOME PLACES, IT’S KILL OR BE KILLED, AND I DON’T THINK YOU QUITE GRASP THAT CONCEPT.” You shook your head at him.

“Boss, If really, _truly_ , thought you would have killed me, do think I would have let Frisk fight you? I’m not naive. I knew you were dangerous, but I also know that you are Papyrus. Well, a Papyrus, at least. You might be a bit rough around the edges, pun not intended, but I don’t think you would have killed either of us. Not without a fair fight, at least.” At that, Red stood up quickly.

“that’s the kind of thinking that’s gonna get you killed, doll. just ‘cause you know one version of a monster, don’t mean you know them all.” He scowled at you.  
“hell, if i hadn’t been through the same song and dance over and over, I probably would've killed you on sight. but, you were an outlier. there weren’t a lot of those.” Sans turned his head to Red.

“you… how many times?” Red shot Sans a harsh glare that fell into a melancholy look.

“...enough.” Red looked back to you, a hard expression falling on his face once more. “in my universe, you got lucky. you can’t rely on luck to get you through.” You nodded and held out the watch.

“I don’t plan on it. I have hope that I can do this.” You held the watch out to him. It was an invitation, and he knew it. He sighed and took the device from your hand.

“that makes one of us, doll.” You smiled.

“Thank you,” Your eyes moved to Sans. His posture fell and he shrugged.

“if you have your heart set on it, then i guess there’s nothing i can do to stop ya.” He moved over to Red’s side, looking at the watch. He took it from Red and flipped it over in his hands a few times.

“now that we know a bit more about it, i can take a look at the watch again and see what i can do to help.” Your smile turned into a grin and you practically kept over the table. You brought them into a hug.

“Thank you guys. It means a lot.” Your awkward three person hug was interrupted by another pair of bony arms that engulfed the three of you. You were all lifted off of the ground by an enthusiastic Papyrus.

“I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!” You chuckled at him. He gripped tighter, causing you to lose your breath for a second, letting out a small gasp.

“Oh-kay, Pap. You can put us down, now.” He nodded and carefully set you back on your feet. You rolled your shoulders back slightly. There was a ninety percent chance he may have just popped something out of place. The skeletons on your sides seemed like they fared much better, Despite how uncomfortable Red looked. They probably didn’t even have to breath. You… didn’t honestly know. Maybe you’d ask at a better time. But for now, you had more important things to worry about.

Like the watch, for example. You leaned over Sans’ shoulder as he opened it.

“So what do we know about it so far?” He glanced at you briefly.

“well, we know it lets you travel interdimensionally. i’m not sure how, though.” You nudged him slightly.

“Magic, probably.” You joked. Red scoffed next to you.

“even magic has some science to it, doll. ‘specially if it’s teleportation magic.” Sans nodded in agreement.

“you have to know the place you’re going,” he explained, “you can rip a whole through the void to wherever you want, as long as you’ve seen it before. it’s less teleportation, and more of… a shortcut.” You nodded slowly, processing the information.

“So you’d need something like… coordinates?” He nodded.

“exactly.” You thought back. Were‘ they there numbers on the screen once you landed in Red’s universe? They flashed on the screen very briefly, but they were there. You didn’t think that they could be coordinates, though. There were way too many numbers for that. Unless…

“Sans?” He hummed in acknowledgment. “If the coordinates lead to another dimension, do you think they would have more numbers?” With his slightly confused look, you continued, “I know you’d need a longitude and latitude, but maybe there’s some kind of number code that corresponds to each universe?” He nodded.

“it’s probable, but i don’t know how we’d find the number.”

“When I fell into the underground, the one that they’re from, I saw a bunch of numbers on the screen. Do you think there’s a way to find them in the watch somehow? It has to have some kind of internal memory, right?” He began fiddling with the watch, and Red leaned over. He began pointing to things on the watch as Sans pressed buttons on it. You frowned.

“I thought you told me not to press anything on it?”

“well, now that i know it’s not some magic bomb, i’m sure i’ll be fine.” His grin turned slightly playful, “besides, if it only works when you use it, then it wont do anything crazy, will it?” You huffed and looked back at the taller brothers. They both seemed a bit lost. You noticed Papyrus glancing down to his phone.

“SANS, I HAVE A QUESTION.” He looked up at this brother.

“sure, bro.” Papyrus held up his phone.

“HOW COME I WAS ABLE TO CALL (Y/N) IN A DIFFERENT DIMENSION? I MAY NOT BE THE MOST SCIENTIFICAL, BUT I AM STILL VERY GREAT, AND I KNOW THAT I PROBABLY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT.” Sans and Red looked at each other for a few seconds. A silent conversation seemed to take place between the two. You supposed that if you met a different version of yourself, you’d have some kind of weird connection, no matter how different you were. Red broke the stare and looked to Papyrus.

“the watch might be emitting some kind of signal that lets her contact people in other dimensions, or vice-versa.” Red began making hand gestures as he talked. Papyrus nodded slowly, but you could tell he was struggling to understand all of the science nonsense. He looked to you for help and you gave him a shrug in return. With a glance in Edge’s direction, you could tell that he could probably care less about how it worked. You couldn’t say you blamed him. You were getting a bit bored with it, yourself. The nerdier brothers were talking between eachother a mile a minute, and there was no way you could keep up. What mattered was that they could get it to work, you supposed. You gave each of them a pat on the shoulder.

“As fun as this is, do you need me to stick around? I’m not really sure how much more help I’ll be With all the technical stuff. I don’t have a degree in mechanics… or quantum physics, for that matter.” Red made a shooing motion with his hand. You made your way out of the room, gesturing for the taller brothers to follow you.  
“Alrighty! Call me if you need me.” You led Papyrus and Edge out of the dining room and into your living room.

“You guys looked bored. Do you want to do anything while they… do… whatever it is they’re doing?” Papyrus nodded enthusiastically at your suggestion, unsurprisingly. Edge stood a bit farther from you two and seemed to shift on his feet for a few seconds. “Aw, come on, Boss. We could watch a movie? I’ll let you guys pick one?” He scoffed and crossed his arms.

“FINE.” You grinned and rushed over to your shelf full of movies. Papyrus was right on your heels, with Edge following behind him. You sat in front of the shelf, a skeleton scanning your selection on either side of you. You noticed that both of them seemed a bit perturbed at the selection of movies.

“DON’T YOU HAVE ANY METTATON MOVIES?” You blinked at Papyrus a few times.

“Um… No?” Papyrus frowned rather dramatically.

“HUMAN! I AM AFRAID THAT I DON’T KNOW ANY OF THESE MOVIES!” You continued to blink stupidly at him. You looked over to Edge, who also seemed to be a bit at a loss.

“None of them?” You gestured to a section of the movies. The ones you felt that everyone should know, even if they haven’t actually seen them. He should at least recognize the brand, right? He gave you a sad head shake. Oh. Oh dear. Papyrus had never seen a Disney movie. You would need to fix this. Your eyes moved over to Edge, who was eyeing some of your horror movies. Maybe another night, then. You would happily marathon both of those genres… but you felt like that would be more of a whole household thing. You settled on making a mental note for movie nights.For now, you decided to meet them in the middle. You eyed your shelf for a few seconds.

“How about this one?” You pulled a case off of the shelf and presented it to them.

“WHAT IS IT ABOUT?” Alright, apparently you would have to sell it on Edge. You could do that.

“Well, it’s about a woman who finds herself the obsession of a madman.” He didn’t seem sold. You cleared your throat and prepared you dramatic voice.

“It’s got suspense! Music! Mystery! It’s truly a classic!” He scoffed. You frowned and thought for a second,“It has… death?”

He eyed the case for a second, “FINE.”

You did a little happy wiggle before moving over to your T.V. You quickly put the movie in and hopped onto the middle of your couch. You looked at the two expectantly. Papyrus made his way over and sat on one side of you. You cocked a brow at Edge, who hadn’t moved. A few gentle pats were given to the seat next to you.

“C’mon, pal. Don’t be a killjoy.” He huffed and grumbled to himself, but moved over to the seat, anyways. Ha! Victory! As the movie began, both of them seemed to be pulled in to the story. You, on the other hand, got lost in your thoughts.

Could you really do it? Could you save them? You certainly hoped so… but who could say for sure? You felt yourself sink. Who were you kidding? Lives were on the line, and all that stood between entire universes being erased was… well… you. You, who couldn’t even save one universe. You, who has made so many mistakes… but now...Well now people other than yourself would be hurt if you made any mistakes. You can’t do anything right… You never could… so what made you think that you could-

As if sensing that your train of thought was going downhill, Papyrus leaned on you gently and gave you a gentle smile before returning his attention back to the movie. You smiled up at the two skeletons sitting next to you.

Maybe you were wrong. Maybe everything would be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, dang. I didn’t really mean to make the reader that... Self-depreciating... but, uh. I guess it happened. In all fairness, she did get a lot of responsibility put on her. 
> 
> Anywho, I hope you liked this chapter!! Thank you all so much for the love (The good kind) this story has gotten!!! I honestly wasn’t really expecting it to go anywhere, so thank you guys!!!


	22. A Crash Course in Dimension Jumping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get ready to go to another alternate universe. Also, Papyrus is precious, but what’s new?

Shortly after your movie ended, you made your way back into the dining room. The pair of more science inclined brothers had, at some point, moved so that they were sitting next to each other at the table. They sounded like they were arguing back and forth about something, but they were doing it in a tone that was much too low for you to hear from the doorway. You took a few steps closer and leaned over slightly so that you could see what they were doing better. The watch was still in Sans’ hand. It was open, and you noticed a faint flickering on the screen-like side. You narrowed your eyes at it. It looked like there were numbers flashing on the screen, appearing and disappearing almost too fast for you to keep up. You took another few steps towards the skeletons and cleared your throat. Both pairs of eyelights moved over to you.

“So, how’s it going?” You rolled slightly on your feet as their attention turned back to the device. Sans gestured you over to them, and you happily complied. You found yourself between the pair, leaning slightly against the back of them as they studied it. “Learn anything new?”

Both Sans and Red gave you a curt nod. Red gestured to the watch and began pointing out the little button and screens on the little gizmo.

“with what you could tell us and what we found, we know how it works… mostly.” You raised a brow.

“Mostly?” This time, Sans began explaining.

“magic is… hard to explain. it’s not always predictable.” You nodded in understanding. You supposed that asking for a complete explanation in magic would be a bit… much.

“So, what do we know about it?” Sans gave you a small grin.

“well, it seems to be able to switch universes by locking on to specific coordinates. because it’s using your soul wavelength to power it, i would wager that it gets the numbers by finding something familiar, or at least something that could be vaguely considered familiar. because you aren’t cutting through the void, it’s probably using the… uh,” His speech slowed at your quirked brow. “the rest is kinda complicated.” You smirked.

“Quantum physics bullshit?” He let out a small chuckle and nodded. You turned your focus back to the watch.

“I remember Alphys saying something about… communication? Or something like that, at least. So, can it be used as a phone or something?” At the question, Red shook his head and joined the conversation once again.

“not exactly. it sorta acts as a go-between for other things to communicate. tha’s why your papyrus could call you, even though you weren’t even on the same plane of existence.” You nodded slowly, taking in the information.

“Okay…” You thought to yourself for a second, trying to find any other questions you could ask about it. One came to mind. “Does it have some way of knowing the universes that I’ve already been to?” You took a second before continuing, “Like, if I were to stop… the thing… from happening, then is there a way I could go back to that universe?”  
Sans gave you a small nod.

“yeah, it seems like you can access other universes as long as you’ve already been to them. y’know, as long as they still exist.” You gave him a guilty look at the last sentence but continued to ask your questions, regardless.

“How?” It was a really broad question, and you knew you’d probably get an answer along the lines of ‘magic’ or ‘science’, but you were curious.

“it works like… like a computer. or more accurately, like a hard drive. It stores the coordinates like data.” Oh. He told you… more about it than you thought he would. You nodded slowly in understanding. Alright, you could do computer analogies. You understood computers better than magic, anyways.

“That makes sense, I suppose. How do I get back to the places I’ve been?” He pressed a series of buttons on the watch, and the small screen stopped flashing random numbers. Instead, the was a line of numbers and dots that you read to be coordinates, although, it was longer than any you had seen before. Beneath that line, it had a line of zeros in red. You looked questioningly at Sans. He caught your gaze from the corner of his vision, and continued his explanation.

“the top one’s our universe. the first few numbers roughly line up with the location of your house. the second one… is probably their universe.” At that, Red interrupted with his own opinion.

“ ‘s probably like that ‘cause my place don’t exist anymore.” Sans nodded in agreement.

You took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of your nose. You understood well enough, you supposed. What you hadn’t figured out already, you could just… wing it. With that thought, you decided that you already regret this decision. You took a few steps back from the pair.

“Anything else I should know? If not, I’m gonna put that magic box to work and prepare for… something.” Sans gave you a slightly worried look as he handed back the gadget.

“you sure you wanna do this?”

Your expression hardened and you gave him a nod, “I’m sure.”

“and you’re sure you don’t wanna take one of us with ya?” Red asked, much to your surprise. You shook your head once more.

“Thanks for your concern guys, really. I think I can do this, though.” You held the watch up, “Besides, if anything gets too bad, I can always just come back.” They still seemed unsure, but let you go on your way.

Your first stop was your room, where you swung open your closet door. Well, you’d probably need a jacket, but you didn’t really want to wear it around, just in case your next jump landed you in Hotland. You grabbed your favorite coat, and into a dimensional box it went. You blinked a few times at the two items that were already in there. Bandages from Red’s lab, and a Whoopie cushion from Sans’ trial run. Could you really justify carrying that around with you? No, but you decided that you were going to do it, anyways. As you took a step back from your closet, your eyes caught a pair of moderately tangled headphones on your desk. You stared at them for a few seconds. They went into a box, as well. You chuckled slightly at yourself. At this rate, you’d just be carrying around a bunch of useless stuff. With a shake of your head, you left your room before you could grab any more junk.

As you passed through the second floor hallways, a door swung open and you were yanked into a bedroom. Blinking away your surprise, your eye’s met the dark eye sockets of Papyrus.

“Um… Hi?” He took a step back from you, but his grip remained on your arm.

“MISS (Y/N)!”

“Yes, _Sir_ Papyrus? How can I help you?” At your stressing on the word sir, he tilted his head at you.

“SIR?” You chuckled.

“Yeah. It’s what knights were referred to back in medieval times.” His cheek bones gained a light tint to them, and you had to hide a giggle behind your hand as he beamed at you. “So, did you actually need anything, or did you just pull me aside for a chat?” Papyrus cleared his non-existent throat and straightened his posture more than it had been.

“WELL YOU SEE, WHILE I AM NOT FOND OF THE IDEA OF YOU GOING SOMEWHERE DANGEROUS BY YOURSELF, I FULLY SUPPORT YOUR DECISION!” You nodded slowly, curious as to where he was going with the conversation.

“Thanks, Paps. It’s always nice to know that someone has my back… but you already told me that you believed that I could do this on my own.” He looked away from you, his eyes roaming over the room.

“I AM AWARE… I JUST…” He trailed off, his hands coming up to fiddle with the end of his red scarf. He looked back to you with a soft smile.  
“SANS MADE THIS SCARF WITH ME BACK WHEN WE WERE STILL IN THE UNDERGROUND. MY BROTHER MAY BE LAZY, BUT HE PUT A LOT OF HARD WORK INTO IT FOR ME. IT… IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME. WHICH IS WHY,” He pulled the scarf over his head and looked it over for a second. He met your curious eyes once more before gently wrapping the scarf around your neck. You felt your breath hitch slightly, and your hand reached up to gently rest on the soft fabric.  
“I WANT YOU TO TAKE IT WITH YOU. I HAVE FULL FAITH THAT YOU WILL BRING IT BACK TO ME SAFE AND SOUND!” You felt your eyes water slightly as you looked up at him. Without hesitation, you pulled him into a hug. He immediately returned it, going so far as to even lift you off of your feet. You chuckled.

“Thanks… you really are the coolest.” He set you down and stood with confidence.

“AH! A GENUINE COMPLIMENT! BUT ALAS, YOUR COMPLIMENT HOLDS LITTLE WEIGHT WHEN YOU HAVEN’T EVEN SEEN THE SECOND PART OF MY GOOD LUCK GIFT TO YOU! FOLLOW ME TO THE KITCHEN!” Without letting you get a word in edgewise, he rushed off to the ground floor. You couldn’t seem to wipe the ecstatic smile off of your face as you followed him down.

As you reached the kitchen, you noticed both pairs of brothers waiting for you. Papyrus stood closest to you, holding out a Tupperware filled with what you could only assume was spaghetti. You supposed you shouldn’t be surprised. You took it from his hands as he held it out to you. That also went into the box. You grinned at him before tuning to the other three skeletons that were sitting at the bar. You vaguely took note of the way Sans way eyeing the scarf in confusion.

“Well, I suppose that’s it then. I’ll see you all… when I see you.” You gestured to the kitchen. “If you guys need anything, my number’s still on the fridge.” You looked from face to face, giving them all a confident smile.

“While I’m gone,” you moved your head in Papyrus’s direction, “He’s in charge.” His face became almost comically serious, and he gave you a nod. Smile still on your face, you squinted slightly at him.

“Just, uh. Don’t set my kitchen on fire, yeah?” He nodded once more. You gave him a thumbs up and looked to the rest of your household. Edge seemed a bit grumpy after you claimed Papyrus to be in charge, but you had suspected that. Though, you weren’t sure if he expected you to put him in charge. Papyrus did have both seniority and a heart of gold, after all. Plus, you knew Sans would watch out for the group. Nevertheless, you had faith that they would all behave themselves while you were gone.

“Thank you all. I’ll be back as soon as I can!” Sans met your eyes and gave you a nod.

“good luck, kid.” You smiled and gave him a thumbs up as well. You turned your attention to the edgier set of brothers and gave them both a nod. Red returned it with an unsurprisingly lecherous wink, and Edge simply gave you a scoff and looked away from your form.

With that you pulled out the device and opened it up. As you activated it, a familiar wave of dizziness hit you like a wave, and your vision was overtaken by a blinding white that you knew much too well.

You blinked the light away when you felt your feet hit focus snap back into place. Your eyes were immediately met with the sight of a snow covered two storied house covered in Christmas lights. You knew this house. Although, last you saw it, it belonged to an edgy pair of brothers. 

  
This was Sans’s and Papyrus’s house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woot Woot! Congrats! We’ve made it to the next universe! I’m sure that at this point, you can all guess which one it is, though. ;)


	23. Swapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find yourself in a very odd universe.

You wrapped your arms around yourself as you scanned your surroundings. You were most certainly in Snowdin town, but it was much different than the last time you visited it. It seemed much… lighter. Like there was less to worry about. When you looked to the left, you could even see a few monsters out and about. None of them seemed to notice you, and if they had, they were choosing to ignore you. You pulled your gaze away from the town and looked to the house in front of you.

Your lips curled into a small smile as you took note of the set of mailboxes. One was stuffed with a mess of letters, while the other stood pristinely next to it. There was no doubt in your mind as to whose house this was. You just hoped that this version of the brothers were more… hospitable than the previous pair. You made sure to keep your fingers crossed as you made your way to the door. Maybe your worrying would be for nothing. Maybe they would be just like your Sans and Papyrus. Or, maybe they wouldn’t even be home. You shook off your thoughts and squared your shoulders. Well, one way to find out, you supposed.

_Knock. Knock._

You waited. A few seconds passed by. A few seconds turned into a minute. Well, it seemed like you were right. No one was home after all. You supposed that you could look-

“who’s there?” Oh. So, maybe someone was home. But the voice sounded odd. It most certainly didn’t sound like Sans, and if you didn’t know any better, you would almost say that it sounded like…

“Snow.” There was a pause.

“snow who?” No, it couldn’t be. There was no way.

“Snow use leaving me out in the cold.” Another pause before you could hear a slight chuckle.

“good one. but, i gotta say, i don’t think i recognize your voice.” You could hear a light click, most likely from the door unlocking. The door swung open and you blinked a few times in surprise. The face of the skeleton at the door seemed equally as surprised as you did.

“oh.” Oh, indeed. You took a second to process the slightly slouching form of Papyrus. You don’t think you’ve ever seen someone with Papyrus’s face dressed so… normally. In place of a quirky crop-top, he wore an orange pull-over hoodie paired with beige cargo shorts. Huh. You met his gaze once more to see his eyes narrowed at you. You… weren’t sure how to feel about this skeleton.

“you’re a human.” You blinked a few times to break yourself out of your stupor.

“I mean, last I checked. You are… not what I was expecting.” He seemed to give you a slight glare at your words.

“expecting? who were you expecting?” You sheepishly rubbed your arm. Damn, you did it again. You weren’t sure if you should let him know about what you were doing just yet. Maybe you would still be okay, though. You could play it off.

“Not you, that’s for sure. I was actually looking for another skeleton.” You didn’t know much about this universe’s Sans, but maybe you could get away with a vague description.

“He’s about my height? Has a sorta… deeper voice? I’m in the right place, yeah?” You left it off there. That was what the two Sans ( Sanses? Sans’s? You weren’t sure.) you already knew had in common, anyways. Your description seemed to work well enough, though. The Papyrus looked you over with a light frown on his face. He seemed to contemplate something for a moment before his expression settled into a glare once more.

“no.” No? But you were sure that this was the right house! And you were very sure that you were talking to Papyrus!

“Wait, I-“ And he shut the door on you. You frowned and crossed your arms. How rude! You knocked once more. Much to your disappointment, there was no answer.

“Alright, look. I know that I’m not really supposed to be here, but I need your help.” You waited for a few seconds. No answer. You weren’t even sure if he was listening or not. You knew you needed to try to get his attention, though. You had no idea where this universe’s Sans was, and you didn’t think you had time to look. Not if you wanted to save this universe, anyways. You had to get him to hear you. You had no other choice.  
“Please,” you took a step closer to the door and leaned against it, “I know that you don’t know me, but please.” You felt the weight of everything on your shoulders. How could you save anyone if you couldn’t do it the first time? You wanted to be able to help all of these people, truly, you did. But… how could you believe in yourself if you had already failed an entire world of people?

“I can’t do this alone.” Your voice came out soft. You knew that if he weren’t right at the door, he wouldn’t have heard you. When you got no reply, you let out a shaky sigh and took a few steps back from the door. You may not have wanted to do it on your own, but it looked like you were going to, anyways.

You wrapped your arms around yourself and looked back and forth a few times. You knew that Waterfall was just past the right of brother’s house, and you knew that going left would lead you back to the big set of doors. But… you didn’t know what was beyond the doors. Maybe that was where the problem was coming from? It was worth a shot, you supposed. You dejectedly began your trek away from the house.

As you passed through the town, you eyed a few of the monsters that were outside. None of them seemed to pay you any mind though, and those that did most certainly didn’t show any signs of hostility. If anything, they seemed kind and welcoming. You found yourself wondering if this had been what the Underground had been like in your universe. Your eyes briefly caught a small white monster that sort of resembled Toriel and Asgore, but you looked away from them almost as quickly as you had seen them. Maybe it was insensitive to think that all goat-like monsters were related? You weren’t sure. But, you don’t think you had seen any other monsters of that kind in your universe or the other one. You decided you would ask Toriel when you got back.

You made your way to the edge of the town, and found yourself walking down the path that led to the door. You walked passed a few different puzzles that seemed to have been already solved, but you weren’t complaining. You couldn’t help but imagine Papyrus wandering through Snowdin forest and making sure all of the puzzles were being properly tended to. Yeah, he would definitely do something like that. From what you could tell of this universe’s Papyrus, however, you doubted would do something like that.

He seemed more like a… taller Sans. A stretched out version of him, if you would. You chuckled to yourself. You didn’t even know him yet, and you already found a nickname for him. Not that you’d find a chance to use it with the could shoulder he was giving you, though. You supposed you should have expected it. How long had it taken Sans to start trusting you? You shook your head and pressed onward. You didn’t have time to think about that.

As you walked down the path, you noticed a pair of voices shouting somewhere in the direction you were going. They both sounded familiar, but in a way that you couldn’t quite place. You wrote it off as your mind playing playing tricks on you, and continued. The voices only got louder, and you heard a third, more quiet voice join them. While walking, you made sure to keep an eye out for the group, but you couldn’t seem to find them. But you didn’t have to look much longer, because they found you.

You heard the loud crunch of footsteps rushing towards you before you noticed a fairly small figure bull rushing you. You let out a small squeak as you jumped out of the way of the speeding monster. They let out a loud scream as they passed you. When the monster turned to face you, it took you a few seconds to process what you were seeing. Apparently, you would be doing that a lot in this universe. The familiar yellow monster narrowed her eyes at you. It was Alphys… and she was wearing… armor? You never thought that the precious dinosaur monster could give you such a harsh glare.

“Human!” Why did they all feel the need to point out the obvious? Was that an axe? Why were you being attacked? Before either of you could say anything, another figure rushed up to you.

“ALPHYS! WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE TRAINING! YOU CAN’T JUST RUN OFF!” You turned to the other almost-familiar voice. Your eyes widened.

“Sans?” Welp. You hadn’t meant to say that out loud. So much for not letting them know. He blinked up at you with big blue lights in his eyes. He seemed confused for a second before the lights promptly turned into actual stars. Holy shit.

“WOW! ANOTHER HUMAN! AND THIS ONE EVEN KNOWS WHO I AM ALREADY! I TRULY AM MAGNIFICENT!” Hearing Sans’s voice so loud was… odd, to say the least. But, you couldn’t deny that the skeleton in front of you was definitely in the running for most precious monster you’ve ever met, and you didn’t even know him yet. In place of the jacket, he wore a grey shirt with a light blue bandana tied around his neck. His pant were tucked into a pair of blue boots, and he wore a pair of equally as blue gloves. He reminded you a lot of Papyrus (who was currently in the top of that most precious list).

You heard another pair of footsteps run up to the group that had gathered. You looked to see a child. You didn’t recognize the kid. They blinked up at you, a confused look on their face. Before you or the kid could say anything though, Alphys let out a low growl from beside you.

“You!” She took a few steps towards you and held the axe out in your direction.  
“We only need one more soul to break the barrier.” She took another step towards you. Your eyes shifted to the others. The kid seemed to be lost in thought, while the Sans was rapid looking between you and the yellow monster. Your focus landed back onto Alphys, who’s axe was being held a bit too close for comfort. You quickly put your hands up.

“Woah, hey. There’s no need for that. I will willingly help you break the barrier.” She narrowed her eyes at you, but made no move to attack or retreat. You continued, looking past her at the skeleton and the human.  
“But before I can help you with the barrier, there’s something much more important that I have to do.” Alphys scoffed and pressed her axe to you.

“Or, I could just take your soul now. I’m sure the queen wouldn’t mind breaking us out as soon as possible.” The queen? But neither of the Toriels referred to themselves as the queen. You opened your mouth to reply, but Sans beat you to it.

“WAIT, ALPHYS! MAYBE WE SHOULD LISTEN TO WHAT SHE HAS TO SAY! SHE ALREADY AGREED TO BREAKING THE BARRIER!” You gave him a small nod and looked back to Alphys. While she did seem to consider his words, she still didn’t drop her blade.

“Please listen to me. If I can’t fix it, then there won’t _be_ a surface to get to. There won’t even be an underground. You have to let me do this.” She pressed her weapon into you.

“I don’t _have_ to do anything.” Before she could do anything else, a small hand gently grabbed her wrist.

“I think that we should let her explain what’s going on.” The rosy cheeked child pressed lightly on her wrist in an attempt to get her to drop the weapon. Alphys begrudgingly followed. You gave a nod to the kid, which they returned, but you could see the caution in their eyes.

“Who are you?” They asked, dropping Alphys’ wrist. You tilted your head at them. Should you tell them what was really going on? You supposed that keeping up a charade would be a stupid move at this point, but would they believe you if you told them?

“I’m- My name is (Y/N).” The kid held out their hand.

“I’m Chara.” You took it and gave it a gentle shake before dropping it. You sighed and looked around at them.

“Look, I don’t really know what’s going on, but something very, very bad is happening, and I need to stop it.” They all looked at you with varying degrees of confusion.

“WHAT’S HAPPENING?” You weren’t sure that you knew how to answer that.

“If I can’t stop it, everything disappears.” This time, it was Chara that spoke up.

“What do you mean, ‘everything disappears’?” You shook your head and took a few steps away from the group. Your eyes focused on this universe’s Sans. You could only hope that he would believe you as easily as Red did.

“I guess it would be easiest to explain if I started at the beginning. I’m from,” You paused and sighed once more, “I’m not from this universe.” Unsurprisingly, a loud laugh came from Alphys.

“That’s real funny, punk.” She glared at you, “Now how about the truth?” You looked over at the other two, who’s expressions you couldn’t quite place.

“No, I’m being truthful! Really! The place I come from is like this universe, but for some reason, all of your personalities have swapped with someone else? Or, that’s what I’ve figured, at least.” She scoffed.

“Do you think I’m stupid?” You knew it was a rhetorical question, but you shook your head, nonetheless. You pulled your phone out of your pocket.

“I can prove it!” She raised a brow as you pulled up the contacts in your phone. _Please, please let this work_. You dialed the number and put the phone on speaker.

It rang once. Twice. Three times. Then, finally, there was a soft click followed by a loud voice.  
“HELLO? MISS (Y/N)? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” You smiled at the voice. You noticed the Sans take a few steps closer and look at your phone in confusion.

“THAT SOUNDS KIND OF LIKE PAPY!” You nodded and turned back to your phone.

“I’m fine, Paps. How are things there? Is everyone getting along well?” The response was immediate.

“OF COURSE EVERYTHING IS FINE! YOU DID PUT THE GREAT PAPYRUS IN CHARGE, AFTER ALL!” You couldn’t help the grin that found its way on your face.

“That’s great! I knew you could do it!” A loud ‘Nyeh heh heh’ echoed through the receiver. You chuckled slightly.

“Is Sans around? I would have called his phone, but I don’t have his number.”

“OF COURSE! I’LL CALL HIM DOWN!” You nodded, but then realized that he couldn’t see you.

“Thanks. I owe you one.”

“THAT’S NOT NECESSARY! I AM HAPPY TO HELP.” You could hear a faint crinkle before the loud, slightly muffled voice called for his brother. You only had to wait a few seconds before a familiar deep timbre sounded through the receiver.

“sup?” You looked over at the skeleton, who was now practically leaning over your phone. He had this almost childish look of wonder in his eyes.

“Heya, Sans.” The Sans of this universe looked over to you, his eyes literally twinkling. Man, magic is so cool.

“you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m good. I don’t think I’m in any danger right now.” Your eyes briefly met Alphys’. She was looking at you with wide eyes. You think that you proved your point.

“I’m gonna let you go now, alright?” There was a few seconds of silence.

“alright. call if you need anything, okay?”

“Will do.” With that, you hung up and put the phone back in your pocket. You looked between the three in your company.

“Well, damn. I guess I was wrong.” Alphys slung her axe over her back.

“THAT WAS REALLY ANOTHER ME? AND ANOTHER PAPYRUS?” You nodded at Sans.

“THAT’S AMAZING! I HAVE TO GO TELL PAPY!” You tilted your head at him.

“You can, but I have to hurry. I don’t mean to be rude, but I’ve spent too much time on this already. What I said about the danger is true.” He nodded at you and turned towards the town.

“WELL, I CAN GO GET HIM! THEN, WE CAN MEET YOU BACK AT… WHEREVER YOU’RE GOING!” You nodded at him.

“If you really want-“

“you don’t have to. I’m right here.” You turned and looked at the taller figure in surprise.

“PAPYRUS?! HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN THERE?!” He gave his brother a shrug.

“the whole time. I’ve been keeping an eye socket on the new human.” Had he been watching you the whole time? You hadn’t noticed. Did that mean that the heard you through the door? You shook your head. You could focus on his lack of trust in you later. For now, you had more important things to do.

You had to find where the problem was coming from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowzers, this one felt a bit longer than some of the other ones I’ve done, but I’m not too sure how feel about it :/ But hey, you’re in underswap, and the plot goes on! I hope you guys liked this one!


	24. In Which You Wished You Knew What You Were Doing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You make your way to the Ruins.

You took a deep breath and faced the group. May as well just get to the point.

“Alright, so here’s the deal. Your universe is erasing itself.” You got several blank looks.  
“Okay, well I’m not sure if it’s erasing itself, or if something else is doing it, BUT, that doesn’t really matter right now. What matters is that I find a way to stop it before everything just… disappears.” The first ones to seem to acknowledge what you had said were Chara and this universe’s Papyrus, who you had decided would be called Stretch. The kid took a few steps toward you.

“Alright. How do we stop it?” Chara already seemed like they were on board to help. You sheepishly rubbed the back of your neck.

“I, uh-“ You were interrupted by Stretch, who still seemed to have a bone to pick with you… Maybe Papyrus was right about puns being contagious.

“you don’t know, do you?” At his question, you let out an awkward chuckle.

“I… honestly have no idea.” You fiddled with your hands slightly as you avoided eye contact with any of them, “ I just figured that finding the problem would be the… uh, first step. And then I’d, well, I’d have to figure it out from there.” You looked back up to see a bunch of incredulous expressions. You felt your cheeks warm up as you continued to try and defend yourself.

“Look, I’m sorta new at this, alright? At least I’m trying! I couldn’t really figure out how to stop it before I got here. Whatever _it_ is, I can’t really replicate it in a lab, you know!” You could feel a bit of panic rise up. What if they didn’t help you? Your mind didn’t wander too far, as both Chara and the Sans took a few steps toward you, and stood on either side.

“IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU KNOW HOW TO FIX IT OR NOT! I AM CERTAIN THAT WITH MY HELP, WE WILL EASILY BE ABLE TO DEFEAT THIS ENEMY!” He struck a few small poses through his speech, and a smile found its way onto your face once more. For some reason, he reminded you somewhat of a blueberry.

… You came up with another nickname.

“Thanks, Blueberry. It means a lot to me that you’re willing to help me.” You gave him a soft smile.

“BLUEBERRY?” He tilted his head slightly at the name.

“Well, yeah. It’s a nickname. Like I said, I’m from another universe where Sans and Papyrus already exist. It would be very confusing for me if I didn’t give you a nickname,” You paused, and gave him a small chuckle, “plus, I think it suits you.” You watched as his grin widened, and he puffed his chest out. There was a small murmur of agreement from Chara. You shook your head and looked to the path, your smile falling slightly, and began your walk to the ruins once more. The others seemed to follow behind you, some with more hesitation than others.

You didn’t mean to spend so much time in your thoughts, but you couldn’t help but find your mind wandering back to the ‘What-if’s’ of your situation. You had to be realistic, the chances of you actually figuring out how to save this universe was low, even with the help of Blue and Stretch. You didn’t know if you would be able to find whatever it was in time. Even if you did, how long would it take you to fix it? Would you be able to fix it? Hell, you didn’t even know what _it_ even is! You had to give it your best shot, though. You weren’t sure that you could take another universe just… disappearing because you weren’t able to save them. But maybe… maybe even if you failed, no one had to die. You stopped walking suddenly. With a quick spin on your heel, you turned to the armored form of Alphys.

“You are the captain of the royal guard, right?” You hoped that she had the same station as the Undyne of your universe did.

“Of course I am!” She scoffed slightly at your question. You nodded and took a step towards her.

“Look, I’ve seen what this does to a universe, and I don’t want the same thing to happen to you guys,” You began your explanation, and she nodded at you unsurely. “If things go wrong, I need everyone in one place.” She tilted her head at you, and her brow scrunched up in confusion. She opened her mouth to reply, but you held up a hand. She narrowed her eyes at you, but let you continue.

“I might be able to get everyone out if things don’t go the way I want them to. And I know that it won’t be the same as your universe, but as a last-ditch effort, I can bring you guys to mine.” You set your hand on your pocket, gently touching the watch through the fabric in thought. It had gotten Red and Edge back along with the others in their universe, after all. You watched as Alphys thought for a moment. She then looked up at you with a heavy determination in her expression.

She turned back to the kid, and looked them over for a few seconds before her gaze moved to Stretch. They seemed to have a moment of silent conversation. You took note of the tense way that both of them looked over at Chara.

“C’mon punk. Why don’t you help me gather everyone up?” Alphys spoke up. Chara looked between you and their friend with a conflicted expression. You understood what they were doing. Chara was just a kid. They shouldn’t be anywhere near the potential danger. 

“But, I wanna-“ They began, but were stopped by Stretch.

“she’s right, kiddo. you’ll be a better help with her. ‘sides, there are a whole lotta monsters that you can help protect.” You blinked at his seemingly relaxed state, but you could see the way his fists clenched and unclenched in his hoodie pocket. His grin seemed strained, as well, but it had been that way since he had first laid eyes on you. You felt a light tug on you jacket, and looked down at Chara.

“But, I want to help you guys.” They were giving you a pleading look. You bit your lip and glanced around at the monsters. They all seemed to be waiting on your decision.

“Kid, I-“ You sighed and gently took their hand off of you, “I don’t think that you can help much with what I’m doing.” At the dejected look they were giving, you continued, “I know that you can put that determination to use, though! There are more monsters in the underground than Alphys can gather by herself. I’m not sure how much time we have left, and it’s super important that everyone is in one place.” You set your hand on their shoulder. They frowned up at you, and then looked to Alphys. It was a few seconds before they looked back up at you and gave you a determined nod.

“Alright. But, if you need anything, find me.” Chara held out a hand, and you took it in one of yours, and gave it a small shake.

“I will. I promise.” You pulled your hand away at the satisfied smile They turned back towards Alphys, who gave you a nod. The pair of them began making their way back to Snowdin.

You watched them go for a few seconds before turning back to the brothers. Stretch was eyeing you, while Blue was still watching his friends walk away. You met Stretch’s look.

“Chara is safe for now. I don’t know how dangerous it’ll be, but I can get them out if things go south,” You looked back at Blue, “I’ll get all of you out.” You turned away from the pair and looked down the path towards the purple door. You still had a ways to go, but you had been down this path before. You gave yourself a small nod before continuing. You heard a pair of footsteps at your heels.

“IS IT REALLY THAT DANGEROUS?” You gave Blue a brief glance while walking.

“Yes. I’ve seen what happens when people interact with it firsthand.” The panicked face of Alphys flashed in your mind. Blue rushed in front of you, and began walking backwards. You couldn’t help but watch the path beneath his feet, watching for anything that could trip him up.

“YOU HAVE?” You nodded at his question, but before you could say anything else, you felt another presence beside you. Your eyes briefly moved from beneath Blue’s feet to the almost silent skeleton next to you. You looked back as quickly as soon as you met his eyelights.

“i thought you said that you haven’t dealt with it.” Stretch’s eyes were narrowed at you.

You shook your head, “No, what I said was that I’m new at this. I know what happens because I’ve seen it happen before.” You slowed and looked down at your hands.

“and what happened to the universe that you were in before this one?” You didn’t answer him. He made a small hum of acknowledgement. The conversation was left at that. Even Blueberry was quiet as you made your way to the door.

You passed a sentry station, and then over a small bridge. You knew that you were getting close to where the ruins were, and you couldn’t shake this odd feeling. You knew you had felt it before, though you couldn’t quite place where you had felt it. Shaking your head, you tried to shrug the feeling away as you continued down the path.

“THAT’S THE ENTRANCE TO THE RUINS!” You heard Blue shout before he rushed off in the direction that he was talking about. Your eyes followed him, but they stopped as you saw the entrance.

Suddenly, you remembered where you had felt the odd feeling. It was in the first universe you jumped to, in waterfall. You remember Frisk had felt it, too. You had felt it before that, though, in the fog after Snowdin Town. And now, you knew that Frisk must’ve been right. There probably was a statue in that corridor.

There was supposed to be a giant purple door separating the ruins from the rest of the underground, after all. And you were currently looking at a doorway with no door. You stopped walking and gave the archway a weary look.

“There’s supposed to be a door here.” Both of the brothers turned to you with confusion on their faces.

“HUMAN, I THINK YOU ARE MISTAKEN! THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A DOOR HERE!” Sans gestured to the empty entrance to the ruins. You frowned and furrowed your eyebrows. You moved your gaze over to Stretch, who was also giving you a confused look.

“You mean you guys have no memory of a door being here? Like, at all?” You ran your hands through your hair. Blue shook his head, but Stretch looked deep in thought. Maybe this universe just never had a door? But, then what was with the odd feeling? You hesitantly began walking to the doorway.

You could see the long corridor behind it. You stopped just at the threshold, and looked around. Nothing seemed to be wrong. Well... There was no empty whiteness, at least. You slowly stuck your hand through the doorway, only to quickly yank it back to your chest once it passed through to the ruins. You heard a chuckle from behind you. You turned to see Blue hiding his grin behind his gloved hand.

“it’s a doorway. it’s not gonna eat you, kid.” Stretch gave you a blank stare and passed by you into the hall. Blue passed by you as well, giving you a grin as he went. He stopped a few feet after the doorway and turned to face you.

“COME ON, HUMAN! YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE SCARY DOORWAY TO GET TO THE REST OF THE RUINS!” Your eyes widened slightly. He was teasing you! You pouted slightly and stuck your tongue out at him. He chuckled as you hesitantly passed through the doorway. You heard Stretch scoff from farther in front of you. When nothing happened, you let out a heavy sigh.

At least you were almost there, you supposed. With that, you followed the brothers deeper into the Ruins. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here you go! I feel like the reader made virtually no progress to her goal in this chapter, but, hey, whatever. We’ll get there eventually. ;) Hope you guys enjoy, anyways. 
> 
> Here’s my Tumblr, for those of you who’d like to stop on by. 
> 
> https://lost-immortality.tumblr.com


	25. Through the Ruins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You make your way through the ruins. Obviously.

The sound of your footsteps echoed through the cobblestone halls. You had found yourself walking a few steps behind the brothers as you made your way through the long purple corridor. Your hands had, at some point, found themselves fiddling nervously with the watch. The hallway was seeming to stretch on for much too long as you followed behind the skeleton brothers, who had been uncharacteristically quiet since you had began down the hall.

Your group slowed to a stop as you reached a large set of stairs. You couldn’t help the small amount of anxiety that was pooling in the pit of your stomach. You weren’t even sure that you were going in the right direction. But, you would make it work. You had to. The pair of skeletons looked back at you.

“WE’VE, UH. WE’VE NEVER ACTUALLY BEEN IN THE RUINS BEFORE.” Blue gave you a sheepish look, “I FIGURED THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT WE CAN’T REALLY LEAD YOU AROUND,” he moved into a more confident pose. “HOWEVER, ME AND MY BROTHER, BUT MOSTLY ME, WILL DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO LEND A HAND.” Despite knowing that they wouldn’t be able to do much, you felt yourself relax slightly. You gave him a grateful smile.

“I know you will,” You smile fell into a more serious expression, “Just promise me that you won’t get yourself hurt, yeah?”

His smile wavered for a split second. “ME? GET HURT? HARDLY LIKELY!”

You shook your head at his dismissal. “I’m serious, Blue. Promise me that you won’t put yourself in danger. There’s a reason I don’t bring anyone from my universe. I don’t want anything bad to happen to any of you.”

His smile dropped. “BUT WHAT IF YOU NEED ME TO-“

“No.” You wouldn’t leave any room for arguments, “Nothing is worth your safety.” When he didn’t say anything, you glanced between the brothers. Both of them were regarding you carefully, for different reasons, you assumed. You eyes moved back to Blue. You made sure to make your expression as serious as possible as you looked him in the eye.

“I need you to promise me.” After another second of hesitation on his part, you muttered out a quiet plea.

He looked you over for a few more seconds. His posture slowly deflated and he let out a small sigh. “Alright. I Promise.” You thanked him before looking over at the taller of the two.

“No heroics from you, either.” You knew that he was less likely to actually put himself in harm's way, especially now that his brother had agreed to stay out of it. But, it was better to be safe rather than sorry. He gave you a half-heated shrug.

“you don’t gotta tell me twice.” He glanced between you and his brother a few times before his gaze settled on you once more. He gave you a small nod before shoving his hands back into the pockets of his hoodie. In an attempt to lighten the mood slightly, you shot him a wink.

“I get the feeling that I didn’t even have to tell you once. You don’t strike me as the type to jump in front of a bus for a complete stranger. Especially when said stranger claims that she jumps around time and space for fun.” You stuck out your tongue, “I know that I wouldn’t. She sounds completely bonkers if you ask me.”

He let out a small chuckle. “that's what i thought at first, but she’s not so horrible, i guess.”

You smirked at him. “Just ‘not horrible’, huh? I guess I’ll just have to work a bit harder to win you over, then.” He tilted his head at you in curiosity.

Your smile fell as you looked to the stairs. You had wasted enough time. There was no more stalling, no matter how nervous you were. You gave one last glance at Blue and Stretch before beginning up the stairs. You could hear their footsteps as they followed behind your slow pace.

As you reached the top, you glanced around. You found yourself blinking in confusion. It looked like you were in some kind of house. You leaned forward a bit to be able to see through the one of the doorways. There was a dining room with a flickering glow being cast by a fireplace that you couldn’t quite see from your angle. You remained quiet as you felt one of the brothers press up behind you, most likely to look around, as well. Turing in the other direction, you looked down a long hall with a few plants in it. You couldn’t discern much more from your spot at the top of the stairs. You turned your head slightly to talk to the skeleton that was behind you.

“Do you think anyone’s home?” You made sure that your voice was barely above a whisper.

“donno. i guess we’ll find out.” He pushed past you into the house nonchalantly. You made a small sound of protest and reached out to grab him. Somehow, he managed to just escape your reach. What was he thinking? You couldn’t just wander into people’s homes! You were trespassing! You recoiled back into the stairwell slightly. You almost shouted at Blue as he brushed past you into the house as well.

“You guys can’t just-“ You interrupted yourself with a groan.

“Hello?” A deep voice carried from the direction of the dining room. You immediately tensed up.

“HELLO!” Blue called loudly into the house. You couldn’t help but hang your head in your hand.

“Are you kidding me?” Your voice came out in a quiet hiss. You doubt he heard you, though. If he did, he ignored you as he began walking towards the voice. Stretch raised a brow at you briefly before meandering after his brother.

You let out a dry chuckle, “I guess we’ll just blindly follow every horror movie cliche in the book, then.” You begrudgingly began going after them, still mumbling to yourself. “It’s fine. Really, I love being murdered.” And now you were talking to yourself. Maybe you weren’t so far off with your joke to Stretch earlier. Maybe you were crazy.

You slowly poked your head in the doorway to see an empty dining room. You heard Stretch say something from a doorway that you hadn’t been able to see before. He turned slightly and gestured in your direction. He took a step back from the doorway, and you blinked in confusion at the large figure that came through.

It was the King. You gave him an awkward nervous wave before dropping your hand. Should you bow or something?

He gave you a warm smile and approached you. You glanced at the brothers behind him. They both seemed relaxed with the figure. So, you steeled your resolve and looked him in the eye.

To your surprise, he held out a hand to you. You gently took it, and he clasped your much smaller hands in both of his. They were pleasantly soft.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, my child. I am Asgore, the keeper of the ruins.” You felt your more defensive body language drop.

“Oh, um. Thanks. I’m (Y/N).” Real eloquent, (Y/N). You are truly a master of words. Yes siree, a real silver tongue. You cleared your throat and gently took your hand back. You could wallow in your embarrassment later. You had more pressing things to attend to.

“Have you noticed anything… odd?” You didn’t waste any more time with pleasantries. He gave you a slightly confused look.

“Odd? What do you mean by ‘odd’?” You thought about the things that you had noticed in the last universe.

“Y’know, strange feelings? Missing objects? Maybe even missing people?” You listed a few of them before hesitantly giving the next one, “A terrifying nothingness eating away at your world? Anything like that?”

His eyes widened in surprise, “You are-“ He cleared his throat and took a second to compose himself. “Actually, yes, I have. Follow me, please.” He moved past you to the front door of his house. You felt your stomach flip at his words. Maybe there was hope, maybe you could save them. You looked back at the brothers, a glint of hope in your eyes, before looking back at the large goat monster and following him out of the house.

He lead you back through the ruins. Your group walked in silence as you passed through the purple brick halls. You were stopped by Asgore a few times when you came across a puzzle, but between the three of you (Stretch didn’t do much to help), you got by all of them quickly. You continued until you reached a purple arch that led to darkness.

Your group stopped in the doorway. You squinted slightly into the blackness, letting your eyes adjust. As they did, you noticed a small patch of grass in the center of the room. Your eyes slowly trailed from the center of the room to the back wall of it, where another doorway sat. Like a beacon in the darkness of the room, a bright white could be seen on the other side of it. You felt all of your muscles tense at the familiar sight.

“Shit.” You hadn’t meant to say anything, but your brain was quickly falling into a state of panic. Were you too late?

“This is the farthest room in the ruins. Or, at least it was. It wasn’t this bad a few hours ago.” Asgore began stepping towards it, “Although I knew it was very strange, I never got to close to it. It feels dangerous.” He looked back at you questioningly. You nodded slowly.

“I don’t really know what it is or why it’s here, but it’s very dangerous.” You thought back on what he said, and your stomach dropped at one thing that he said. “Stretch, do you know how long it’s been since I showed up?” You asked him without taking your eyes off of the slowly expanding nothingness. There was a short silence as he thought.

“maybe two hours ago? three tops.” It was a rough time frame, but hopefully it wouldn’t match up with the time that the nothingness began.

“And when did you notice,” You gestured to the doorway, “that?”

“Well, I noticed the strange white area a few hours ago, but I do not believe that it started then.” Asgore seemed to think for a moment before continuing. “I noticed something out of place before that.” You looked to him in surprise.

“Out of place?” You repeated in confusion.

“Yes. Usually, there is a patch of flowers in that room. Yesterday night, I went to check for fallen humans, as I usually do. There were no humans, but the flowers were not normal. I am not sure how I can explain it. It was like… I saw them, but I could not focus on them. It was as if my eyes did not register that they were there. It was very off-putting, but I foolishly wrote it off at the time.”

You took a second to process all of the new information. Now you wished you did have a PhD in quantum physics, because no matter how you tried to shove the pieces of information together, you couldn’t seem to figure out what was going on. You didn’t even know what to do next. You couldn’t just wish it away. You needed to do something.

You let out a shakey breath. “I don’t know what to do.” Your voice was small. They probably thought that you were pathetic. They would have been right. You couldn’t do this. You had no idea what was going on. How could you have thought that you could do this? You were only human. Just a weak, worthless-

“MISS (Y/N)? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” You gave Blue a questioning glance. He looked worried. Your face felt a bit warm. You reached up and gingerly touched your cheek. You quickly scrubbed away the tears that had escaped. You hadn’t even realized that you’d been crying.

“I don’t know what to do.” You said it louder this time, partially to give a pseudo answer to Blue, but mostly because of the helplessness that you had felt hit you like a truck.

“WELL MAYBE WE CAN,” he began walking towards the doorway that had slowly started disappearing into the white. His speaking was interrupted by a harsh tug on his arm.

“Please don’t. I can do it.” You felt your grip tighten before you forcibly loosened it, “I can go in there. It’s too dangerous for you. I’ve seen what it does, and I don’t want you anywhere near it.” He turned back with an angry look, tugging his hand away from you. You recoiled in surprise.

“I AM NOT A CHILD! I CAN HANDLE IT!” He shot you a glare, “AND IF IT’S TOO DANGEROUS FOR ME, THEN YOU AREN’T GOING ANYWHERE NEAR IT, EITHER!”

“I never said you were a child! I just wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if anything were to happen to you! I don’t want to have to stand by and watch as you. fade from existence!” You hadn’t meant to snap. He was quiet as your expression fell.

“It’s not something that I ever want to see again.” Your words were quiet, and you had almost meant for them to be more for yourself than the other monsters. You glanced back up at Blue to see that his expression had melted into sympathy.

“THEN I WON’T LET THAT HAPPEN TO YOU, OR ME, OR ANYBODY ELSE!” He seemed so confident in himself and his abilities. How did he do it?

“I appreciate the thought, but you can’t promise something like that.” You looked back at the doorway. “I was sent here specifically for this problem. I have to try to do something.” You stepped into the room and carefully walked closer to the nothingness. You briefly glanced behind you to make sure that they stayed behind the doorway. Blue looked like he wanted to run after you, but his brother had a firm grip on his shoulder. You made sure to give Stretch a thankful look.

Then, you looked back to the problem in front of you. You had no idea where to even start.

“Alright, creepy grey kid. If you have any good advice, now would be the time to give it.” As a last ditch effort, you mumbled under your breath to the monochrome Frisk that had sent you on your journey.

...but nobody came.

Well, you figured that it was worth a shot. You looked into the nothingness, carefully scanning it. There was nothing. You weren’t sure what you had expected with that try. You needed to do something else. You bit your bottom lip. You could do this. You could do this. With a small inhale,, you summoned your bravery. Or, maybe it was stupidity. You couldn’t tell yet.

You quickly shoved your hand into the rapidly disappearing area. There was a sound of protest and a gasp behind you, but you ignored them and pulled your hand back out just as fast. You held it to your chest for a second before holding it up and examining it.

It looked fine, and it certainly wasn’t missing. But, then again, when Alphys disappeared, she had walked into all the way into it, and she had stayed there for at least half a minute. You shuddered and pushed away the memory. You most certainly weren’t dumb enough to walk directly into it.

Your mind quickly went in a downward spiral. You were too late. You couldn’t do anything. How could you let this happen? If only you had been faster. Now, all of the monsters in this universe would suffer, and it was all because of you. You could’t do this. How could you let this happen again?

You could feel yourself shaking. You weren’t sure when you started, but now it was painfully obvious as your knees were almost buckling under your weight. You didn’t know what to do, and you had a feeling that it wouldn’t change no matter how long you stood in front of the problem. You couldn’t fix it. Your lungs hurt as your breath sped up. You were having trouble getting any air with how fast it came and went. Despite being through it many times, your panicking mind couldn’t put together what was happening until your vision began to sparkle slightly. You were having a panic attack.

You stumbled back slightly as your vision was covered by black dots. You felt a pair of arms stop you from falling. NO. no one could be here. It was too close. It would- They would-

“woah, calm down.” You barely processed the voice as it spoke to you.  
“i think you’ve had enough.” The voice that you recognized as Stretch gently began herding you away. He didn’t get very far, though, as your legs collapsed almost immediately. He somehow managed to catch you under the arms before you hit the ground.

“okay, okay. you need to calm down.” His voice was starting to sound odd. It was as if you were hearing him underwater. He said something else to you, but you couldn’t understand it very well. You felt an arm settle itself behind your knees as he picked you up. Your head spun at the fast movement, and you could feel yourself slipping away.

Then, it all went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, hey there! Look who’s not dead! Sorry about the longer wait. I’ve been super sick, and looking at the computer screen for more than a few minutes a a time made my head feel like it was going to explode. But, hey! I’m feeling better now, and should be able to get back to my regular schedule, or at least I would if I ever set one for myself. ;)
> 
> Thanks for sticking around! :)


	26. Wake Up Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get bumpy.

The inky blackness surrounded you. It felt unpleasantly heavy, and you could feel a weight in your chest. It made it really difficult to breathe. When you thought about it though, it was almost as if breathing wasn’t important at the moment. You tried to orient yourself, but you couldn’t even figure out which way was up.

Where were you? You couldn’t see anything other than the darkness. You tried feeling around, but startled yourself when you couldn’t even see your hands. In a blind panic, you brought them closer to your face, but it was in vain. You tried to scream out, but the sound seemed to be swallowed before it even left your mouth. What was happening? Why couldn’t you do anything?

The pressure increased. You needed to get out. You needed to do something. It was starting to feel horribly suffocating. You tried flailing, but that only seemed to make it worse. As you continued to struggle, you felt something press into your shoulders.

A sudden feeling of cold caused you to gasp.

Your eyes met a pair of black sockets as you shot up. A loud crack was the first sound you heard. You immediately felt a splitting pain in your head and closed your eyes. A voice groaned next to you. You took a second to gather your bearings before looking around once more.

Chara stood next to the couch, a cup in hand, looking worriedly between you and the figure on the floor. You blinked in confusion and looked down to  find that you were, in fact, wet. You then noticed Stretch holding his skull in his hands.

Despite still being foggy on some details, it didn’t take long for you to figure out what had happened. The pain in your forehead made it pretty easy to connect the dots.

“Um, ouch?” You quickly found your voice and leaned over to see Stretch better. “That, uh. Kinda hurt. Are you okay?”

“geeze, kid. and i thought i was hard headed.” You took his joke as a sign that he was wasn’t too hurt, at least.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” You tilted your head at him as he looked up at you, “but can I ask why you were above me like that? And why am I covered in water?”

He sat up and gingerly rubbed between his eye sockets, “i was trying to wake you up. it looked like you were having a hard time.”

“Yeah! You were thrashing all over the place!” Chara added, looking relieved that the pair of you were alright. “When Papyrus couldn’t wake you up, I, uh-“ they trailed off and sheepishly held up the empty cup. Well, you supposed that that answered a few of your questions.

“How long was I out?” You were a bit lost as to where you were, as well. One question at a time, though.

“couple hours.” Stretch answered as he stood up.

A couple hours?! You were out for that long?! All at once, you felt the panic return to you. What about the ruins? It had probably already eaten through them! What were you going to do? How could you let this happen again?

“woah, there. let’s not have repeat of before, okay?” He moved over to you and gently placed his hands on your shoulders. “you need to breathe.” He began making exaggerated breathing motions. You followed his movements until your breathing slowed back down.

“I’m so sorry. It’s been years since I’ve had a panic attack. I don’t know why I can’t…” you let your words fall away as you let out a small sigh. “I’m too late. I never even had a chance to do anything.” Your words were a quiet mumble, but the others heard them. You felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around your waist.

“It’s okay. We all know that you did your best. You can’t blame yourself.” Chara looked up at you with a tiny smile. You hadn’t noticed how red their eyes looked before.

“we managed to get everyone into the capital.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “my bro and alphys are already there.”

You stood up, gently pushing Chara off of you. They took a step back and watched you with a concerned expression. “We made sure everyone got there safely. No one got hurt.” The kid’s words took a small weight off your shoulders. You had hoped that you wouldn’t need to use the backup plan.

Stretch offered you a hand, “welp. we’d better make our way there, huh?” You took his hand without much hesitation. Chara quickly made their way to his other side and grabbed his other hand. He looked over at you in thought.

“i know a shortcut, but it’s not easy to bring more than one person with me.” He gripped your hand a bit harder, “don’t let go, alright?” You nodded, and almost immediately you felt the air shift.

You barely had time to register the void before the light came back. You blinked around at the faces surrounding you. You had appeared near a group of familiar monsters.

“MISS (Y/N)!” Blue was quick to notice you. He ran up and pulled you into a hug. “I’M SO GLAD YOU’RE OKAY!! I WAS SO WORRIED!” You gave him a gentle pat on his back.

“I’m glad _you’re_ okay. Thank you for keeping your promise.” You looked over his shoulder at the large goat monster that stood behind him. He gave you a kind smile. You noticed the other monsters near him, who you recognized to be this universe’s version of monsters you already knew. Blue let go of you and took a spot beside his brother.

Another goat monster, Toriel, you presumed, stepped toward you. “You claim that you can get my subjects out of here safely?” She looked back at the small group of monsters behind her. “They are waiting in the city itself. If the issue is as pressing as you claim, then we need to act fast. They,” she gestured to the group, “have vouched for your character. I am trusting you with this. Please do your best.”

You glanced at the faces behind her. Alphys gave you a thumbs up, and Asgore continued giving you a supportive smile. You noticed Undyne standing behind Alphys. She gave you a shy wave as you made eye contact with her. You looked back at Chara and the brothers. Your expression set into a hopeful look.

“I’ll do what I can.” You pulled the watch out of your pocket. You took a deep breath before flipping it open.

“Here goes nothing, I suppose.” You let yourself relax as you began fiddling with the watch with shaking hands.

You looked up at the queen, “I need everyone to be in one spot. It works in a similar way to Stretch’s shortcuts.” She looked confused at the last bit, but nodded nonetheless.

“you think you can take more than a few people?” Stretch, now having a better idea of what you were going to do, questioned you.

“I’ve taken multiple people at once before.” Even you knew that your words were weak at best.

“thousands? because that’s how many monsters are stuck here.” You felt yourself tense. There were thousands? You weren’t sure how you expected anything different, you supposed. It was a daunting task, but you needed to try. You gave Stretch a worried look, but said nothing else.

It wasn’t long before you were surrounded by a large crowd of monsters. You could hear them murmuring around you. The queen’s solution to the problem was to tie a rope tightly to your waist. Stretch had given his ‘okay’ to the idea. He believed that it would work, at least somewhat. So, there was now rope looping around the monsters. You were still closest to your group of monsters. You were nervous. What if something went wrong? What if it didn’t work at all?

You felt a hand take yours, and give it a squeeze. You looked over at Blue and gave him a thankful nod as he smiled at you. You looked around at the faces nearest to you. You couldn’t let them down.

Stretch rested his hand on your shoulder, “let’s blow this popsicle stand, eh?” You hesitantly nodded.

You closed your eyes and made a counterclockwise motion on the watch.

You immediately felt the same pull into the anti-void as you did last time, but it felt… wrong. Last time, you didn’t hear the horribly deafening static. Last time, you didn’t feel the horrible pain in your chest. Your breath hitched as you registered just how bad it hurt.

The bright white had been lasting way too long. A scream echoed through the silence followed by snapping sounds.

It hurts. It hurts. _It hurts. IT HURTS._

 

All at once, your world came back to you. As soon as you felt the ground underneath your feet, you fell to your hands and knees. You gasped for breath, taking in the air greedily. Your eyes slowly focused on the gravel beneath you. You watched as drips of red fell onto the ground. Was that blood? Who was bleeding? You vaguely recognized that there were sounds and movement going on around you. You slowly lowered yourself down to lay on the ground.

There was a very loud noise that you heard over the harsh ringing in your ears. You felt yourself being lifted by your underarms into the air. You made no effort to stop it. Your foggy mind processed the face that was looking you over in concern.

What was Papyrus doing here?

His mouth moved, but you couldn’t understand. Why did your chest still hurt? When you didn’t answer, you could see the concern grow. He shouted out, and this time you could hear that he was calling for Sans. Your eyes focused on the building behind him. You were home?

You looked down towards your dangling feet. You noticed the length of rope tied around your waist. You slowly followed it with your eyes. You only got a few feet before your eyes landed on the frayed end in the gravel.

And, just like that, the haze that had fallen over you was shocked away. You fought through the pain and wiggled in Papyrus’s hold. He didn’t let you down. You searched around frantically. There’s no way that you could have-

Blue and Chara stood on one side of Papyrus, both looking slightly panicked. Seeing them, you went limp once again. You felt Papyrus carefully move you so that he was holding you bridal style. You glanced around at the monsters that you had brought back. Asgore. Toriel. Alphys. Undyne. Stretch. Blue. Chara. You had failed them. You looked away in shame and buried your face into Papyrus’s sweater. You felt his grip tighten on you.

As the ringing in your ears slowly faded, you began hearing muffled talking.

“WE WILL HAVE TO CONTACT KING ASGORE ONCE AGAIN. HE WILL NEED TO KNOW!”

“Yes, that would be the best course of action.”

“WILL SHE BE ALRIGHT?”

“OF COURSE SHE WILL! SHE IS VERY CAPABLE!”

“don’t worry, bro.”

“WHAT ABOUT EVERYONE ELSE?” You winced at the silence that followed the question.

“whoa, what’s going on out here?” There was another pause at the new voice that you recognized as San’s lazy timbre. “...what happened?” He sounded strained.

“MISS (Y/N) IS HURT!” There was a moment of soft mumbling from some of the monsters before a bony hand gently pulled your face out of Papyrus’s sweater. You slowly followed the movement. Sans looked at you with worry.

“oh, geeze, kid. you’re bleeding.” You blinked in confusion at his statement, and reached your hand up to your face. You tapped the underside of your nose and brought it back to look at it. Sure enough, your fingers were covered in a sticky red.

“Oh.” You looked back towards Papyrus and noticed the large red splotch that had spread across his bright sweater. “ I’m sorry, Paps.”

He shook his head. “MY CLOTHES DO NOT MATTER WHEN YOU ARE HURT!”

“what happened?” Sans looked around at the group tensely before his gaze settled back on you. His eyes widened slightly as he slowly looked back over at the kid that was next to you.

“you.” His eye lights went out as he stared at Chara.

“woah, there, buddy. the kid had nothing to do with it.” Stretch stepped between the two. “your human decided that she could try to teleport the entire underground back with her.”

Sans’s attention immediately snapped back over to you.

“you. did. what.” Oh dear. He was mad.

“Well, I thought that-“

He shook his head, “bring her inside, pap.” You felt slightly offended that he didn’t let you explain yourself. But, you could tell that it was best if you let him take a moment on this one.

“You guys can come in for now, if you’d like.” You addressed the rest of the group, instead. Blue nodded at you, but the others seemed busy looking around. Your eyes widened slightly in realization. How could you have forgotten that they had not been to the surface? Before you could say anything else, Papyrus followed his brother back into the house. You saw Blue and Stretch follow.

“could you put her on the couch, bro? then she could probably use some tea.” Sans was already on his way to the living room.

“OF COURSE! IF YOU THINK IT WILL HELP!” Papyrus followed his brother’s directions and set you onto the couch, next to a napping skeleton before rushing off to the kitchen. Or at least, you thought he was napping. When Red peeked an eye open at you, you had your doubts.

“you look like shit.” At least he was honest?

“that’s because she tried to teleport the entire underground in one go.” Despite the passive-aggressive comment, Sans handed you a tissue, and you nodded in thanks before holding it up to your nose.

Red surprised you when he sat up quickly. “i’m sorry? you must be damn stupid to pull a stunt like that, doll!” Oh, now he was mad at you too? Unlike Sans, he continued reprimanding you. “were you even listening when we explained that thing? it’s power is directly connected to your soul! you could’ve shattered it, you idiot!” Oh. OH! Was that why it hurt so much? You hadn’t even thought about it like that! Was that how souls worked? You really needed to have one of them explain it better.

“I’m sorry.” Your apology was weak, but sincere. “If, uh.. if it’s any consolation, the house would go to you guys if anything were to happen to me.”

“is that what you think we were worried about?” Sans surprised you by speaking up. “you could’ve just killed yourself, and you think we were worried about a house? if you hadn’t lost everyone else along the way, you would have died.”

“It hurt. It still does a little.” You admitted sadly. “And I didn’t even fix the problem.”

Sans looked at you with sympathy. “you need to stop doing this to yourself.”

“I-“ you stopped yourself and nodded slowly. “I know, but I let them down. I was too much of a wreck to save anyone.” You let out a bitter laugh. “ Apparently, I couldn’t even save myself.” Your thoughts left before you could stop them.

“he’s right. you can’t get anything done in the state you’re in.” Stretch added from the doorway. How long had he been there?

“I’m sorry.” You hadn’t been this apologetic in a long time, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I haven’t been this self deprecating since… it’s been a while.”

“are you kidding, honey? don’t beat yourself up over things you can’t control. if i would have known how it worked, i wouldn’t have let you do that.” Stretch made his way over to the couch. He was going to say something else before a loud shout interrupted him.

“PAPY! HAVE YOU SEEN HOW BIG THIS HOUSE IS? IT’S AMAZING!” Blue’s shouting was followed by Papyrus making his way back into the living room and held a mug out to you.

“IT IS INDEED A VERY GRAND HOUSE! AND MISS (Y/N) IS A WONDERFUL HOST!” Papyrus never failed to have kind words to say. You admired him for that.

“you’ll have to give me the grand tour, bro.” Stretch gave his brother a pat on the head.

“I THINK (Y/N) WOULD BE MUCH BETTER SUITED TO DO THAT! SHE DOES LIVE HERE, AFTER ALL!” Blue bounced over to the couch with a wide smile.

“I don’t think that I’m really up for…” you trailed off as his expression fell.

“Alright, I guess I can-“

“I CAN SHOW THEM AROUND!” You blinked up at Papyrus. He grinned at you. You mouthed a silent thanks at him. He nodded and placed his hands on his hips.

“I DO NOT BELIEVE I HAVE PROPERLY INTRODUCED MYSELF TO YOU! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!” He began ushering Stretch and Blue out of the living room.

“AND I AM THE MAGNIFICENT SANS! BUT (Y/N) CALLS ME BLUEBERRY!”

“I SEE! IT WAS A WONDERFUL IDEA ON HER PART TO GIVE OUT NICKNAMES! IT WOULD BE AWFULLY CONFUSING IF EVERYONE WAS CALLED SANS AND PAPYRUS!” You listened to the more excitable pair talk as they made their way through the house. There was an occasional lull in the sound, and you assumed it was Stretch talking. He was much more quiet, after all.

“you alright, doll?” You were pulled from your spacing at Red’s question.

“Just… give me a bit of time. I’ll be alright.” And you knew you would. He began to say something else, but another shout cut him off.

“HUMAN!” Ah, there he was. You were beginning to wonder. “WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS COMMOTION?” Edge sounded like he was at the top of the stairs. You heard Papyrus shout something back at him.

“hope you don’t mind the noise. doesn’t seem like you’ll be getting away from it any time soon.” Sans then wandered out of the living room.

  
You had never really liked the quiet, anyways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, reader spends a long time disoriented in this chapter. Eh, whatever. I’m hoping for things to be slightly more upbeat for the next few chapters, but my brain might be against that idea. Who knows? 
> 
> Anyhow, hope you’re all enjoying this confusing rollercoaster of a story. :)
> 
> (Also, as a side note, I did go back and re-space out all of the paragraphs in older chapters to make more sense. The way i spaced out dialogue was a horrible train wreck, so hopefully I improved it somewhat.)
> 
> (Also also, holy butts!!! There are that many of you that like my story!? I’m flabbergasted, flattered, and also another word that starts with an ‘f’ that I can’t think of! You guys are awesome, and always make my day!! :D)


	27. An Intervention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You’re in pain. They aren’t helping.

Sans had been right. It had only been a day. A single day that you had spent mostly in your room. Even from there, the noise reached you. You didn’t mind the loud voices, really, you didn’t. But the constant arguing had nearly driven you to drink. At least there was only an extra pair of skeletons, you supposed. The rest had gone with Toriel and Asgore yesterday.

But, even at that very moment, you could hear what sounded like Edge and Blue shouting over something. You had found that Edge was, somewhat unsurprisingly, part of almost every argument. Slightly more surprising was the fact that Blue was the one he argued with most. And it definitely didn’t help that your head felt like it might explode, and you still had a pain in your chest.

“WELL, I WAS HERE FIRST. WHICH MEANS THAT I GOT TO PICK FIRST, PIPSQUEAK.” You groaned at Edge’s words.

“BUT HOW COME YOU GOT THE BIGGEST ROOM?” Ah, it was that argument again. When they said they wanted to stay with you and the other skeletons, you should have just assigned rooms. You would have if you had known that a headache would come with letting them all pick their own.

“I DON’T HAVE THE BIGGEST ROOM! THAT POWDERPUFF VERSION OF ME DOES!” There was a pause in the yelling. Finally. Maybe you could-

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN (Y/N) HAS THE BIGGEST ROOM? WHICH ONE IS HERS?” Nope. There went Blue again. Someone a bit quieter had apparently argued about Pap’s room.

“WHY DO YOU CARE? ARE YOU GOING TO TRY TO TAKE HER ROOM, INSTEAD?” But who would have done that? No one’s been in your room except for…

Sans. That traitor.

“OF COURSE NOT! I WAS JUST CURIOUS! AND I’M NOT TRYING TO TAKE YOUR ROOM! I JUST DON’T WANT TO BE IN THE CORNER NEXT TO THE ATTIC! I WANT TO BE NEXT TO THE STAIRCASE! AND ALL OF THE ONES NEXT TO THE STAIRCASE ARE TAKEN!”

“LIKE I’D BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU SAY! I SEE RIGHT THROUGH THAT LITTLE INNOCENT ACT OF YOURS! BESIDES, THERE ARE LITERALLY FIVE OTHER ROOMS THAT AREN’T TAKEN!” Alright, that was all you could take for today. You stomped over to your door and flung it open. Both of them looked at you in surprise as you stomped own the attic staircase and into the hall where they stood in front of the foyer.

“That is absolutely enough, you two.” You brushed past both of them, “You have been arguing non-stop all day. I can’t even hear myself think! You need to stop.”

“BUT I-“

“HE’S THE ONE THAT-“

“No,” you began making your way downstairs, but stopped halfway through the staircase. “Alright, everybody into the living room!” You called into the house. You couldn't believe that you actually needed an intervention to stop them from arguing like a bunch of toddlers. You narrowed your eyes at Edge as he was about to argue with you. “Now.”

You spun around and made your way to the living room. You sat on the couch with crossed arms and an angry expression. Stretch was already lounging across it.

“what’s up, honey?” He shifted slightly to make more room on the couch.

You let out an exasperated sigh, “If I hear one more fight between you guys, I might just pitch myself off a cliff.” He chuckled at your misery. You leveled a glare and continued, “So, I decided that if you can’t get along by yourselves, y’know, like the responsible adults you are, then I’ll have to find a way to make you get along.”

“so you’re having a house meeting because blue and edge are driving you up the wall.” He simplified.

“...Yes.”

You waited for a few minutes to let everyone file in. It almost surprised you when all of them actually showed up without you dragging them. Once they had all found spots to sit, you stood up and began shooting each and every one of them cross looks.

“We need to talk about the fighting.” You didn’t let any of them interject, “It needs to stop.”

“SHE IS QUITE RIGHT! THE TENSION AROUND HERE HAS BEEN RIDICULOUS!” Papyrus was the first to speak up, and you nodded along with him.

“EASY FOR YOU TO SAY, POWDERPUFF! YOU’RE THE ONLY ONE SHE’S NOT MAD AT!” You dropped yourself back onto the couch and buried your head in your hands and multiple skeletons began trying to talk over themselves. Was it too much to ask for them to get along? You just wanted a few minutes without one of them trying to stab someone else. Why was that so hard for them?

When you looked back up, you expected to see chaos. Unsurprisingly, that’s exactly what it was. Red and Stretch were arguing with each other next to you. Blue and Edge had found themselves in yet another screaming match as Papyrus tried to talk them down.

“you got a point, kid.” You looked over your shoulder to see Sans leaning on the back of the couch. “this is gonna end up bein’ a problem if we don’t handle it. you want me to do somethin’ to stop them?”

“the hell are you gonna do? ‘sides, we all know you’re just tryin’ to get on her good side.”

You shot Red a glare, “ _Are you kidding me_ , Red?”

“now, that’s not fair-“ Sans defended himself and you turned away as he began joining in the argument that Red and Stretch were already a part of. You called them all here to fix it, and then it just got worse. That was your luck, you supposed.

With a heavy sigh you stood and left the living room. There was no possible way that you could shout over them, so you’d need the next best thing. You made your way into the kitchen and pulled a frying pan and a cookie sheet out of you cabinets before making your way back. None of them had even noticed that you left.

With a deadpan look, you held the pans above your head.

...And proceeded to slam them together with all your might (which was a fair amount considering your background as a dancer, thank you very much). A few of them jumped, but all of them looked over at you.

“WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE-“ you slammed them together again before pointing the frying pan at Edge.

“No. We tried doing this the communal way.”

“BUT, MISS (Y/N)-“ another metallic clang echoed as you gave Blue a glare.

“I wasn’t finished talking. If-”

Red stood up, “look, doll-“ Another bang.

“No, you look. If you guys are going to act like children, then I’m going to treat you like children. There is absolutely no reason for the constant arguing! At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were getting on each other‘s nerves on purpose! This should not be a problem that I have to handle!” You took a second and lowered your pans. They all looked at you nervously, but you had said your part for now.

“we-“ Sans only said a word before he stopped and waited for the noise. It never came as you waited for him to finish. He relaxed slightly and continued, “it was real shitty of us.” You nodded, but he wasn’t really who you were talking about.

You turned to Edge and and pointed the pan at him once more. “You need to be nicer.”

“hey now, you can’t just blame my bro for-“ Red was interrupted when his brother held up a hand.

“SHE’S RIGHT. I HAVE BEEN VERY,” he took a second to find the word he was looking for, “STAND-OFFISH.” Huh. You had expected more of a fight from him. “BUT HE,” Edge gestured to Blue, “HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT A PAIN IN MY COCCYX SINCE HE GOT HERE!” Nope, there it was.

“blue hasn’t done anything to you. you’re just always annoyed about something.” Stretch joined in.

“THAT IS TRUE! AND YOU KEEP BLAMING ME FOR THINGS! AND-“ he interrupted himself with a sniffle. Blue looked over at you, the beginning of tears forming in his eye sockets.

“don’t think you can just throw around crocodile tears, and it’ll make everything go your way.” Red glared at him. Stretch said something in reply, and the whole room broke out again.

You pinched the bridge of your noise. “Okay, this isn’t working.” You mumbled to yourself before taking deep breaths. When the arguing only got worse, you slammed both of your pans onto the coffee table. Silence fell over the room once more.

“I’m leaving,” you didn’t wait for any of them to acknowledge you, “I’m going on a drive, and when I get back, you are going to get along. I don’t care how you do it, but you’d better figure it out.” You stormed out of the living room and quickly made your way to the garage. You angrily tossed on your helmet and took off before anyone could stop you.

You needed some time to yourself. If they still didn’t get along when you got back, at least you’d be in a better mood. Even now you felt yourself relax slightly as the engine purred beneath you and the trees passed you by. You let your mind turn off as you focused on making your way down the streets, no destination in mind. Maybe you’d get yourself some ice cream. Ice cream always made things better.

You pulled up at the first ice cream parlor that you saw. It was a quaint little place on the edge of the city. You made your way inside, and the little bell at the door rang as it closed behind you. You were greeted by the lady behind the counter. You smiled and nodded at her as you looked over the flavors. Maybe you would get something different today?

Ha. Who were you kidding? Your favorite flavor was, well, your favorite for a reason. You decided to get a triple scoop. It had been a long day, and you deserved it.

You heard the bell ring once more. You didn’t pay any attention to it until you felt a small body collide with yours. Before you could even process what was happening, another one hit you. You somehow managed to keep you balance, ice cream and all. You looked down in surprise at the two pairs of brown eyes looking up at you.

“Frisk! And,” you thought for a moment, but came up with nothing,” also Frisk!” The older of the two chuckled at your struggle.

“You can call me Fell.” They gave you a smile.

“Fell, huh?” You tested the name. It worked, you supposed.

“Yeah, you were right. It gets pretty confusing when we have the same name.”

You pretended to think for a moment before ruffling their hair, “I like it!”

They laughed and shoved your hand away. You looked up to see Toriel, the red version, surprisingly, eyeing you. Chara waved at you from beside her.

“Well, heya. Fancy meeting you guys here. What brings you out here on this fine day?” You took a big bite of your treat, “other than ice cream, of course?”

“Frisk- er, Fell, I mean,” Toriel corrected, “wanted to invite the other children to get ice cream with us.”

You looked down at Fell and shoved them playfully, “Yeah? You invited them? Are you paying?” They stuck their tongue out at you.

The smaller of the two was looking up at you in curiosity. Frisk’s eyes lingered on the red scarf that still adorned your neck. They seemed to lose themselves in thought for a moment before shaking it off. Frisk tugged on your jacket and held up a phone.

‘ _Where are Sans and Paps?_ ’

You winced slightly. “They’re back home with the others. They needed to… work out their differences.”

They snickered and typed something else, ‘ _them too, huh?_ ’

You groaned dramatically, “You have no idea! They spent all morning screaming at each other!”

Chara laughed and wandered up to you as well. “You should have seen the Asgore’s.” You blinked a few times in surprise.

“The others are having the same problem? I thought my housemates were just too hard-headed to get along.” You hadn’t even thought about what the others were up to. You felt kind of bad about it now. There was a pause in the conversation when Toriel called the kids over to order. As they picked out flavors, you noticed the side eye that Toriel was giving you.

She had never come off as mean, and you could tell that she really cared for Fell. But, you couldn’t shake this feeling that she didn’t like you. You shook your head and cleared your head as Fell pulled you over to a table with them and the other kids. You happily chatted with the group until Toriel herded them out the door to leave. You smiled at the sight and waved at them as they left.

 

...Which left you alone in an ice cream parlor. You sighed. You supposed it was time to go back. Hopefully your house was still in one piece.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What, you didn’t think they’d all get along from the begining, did you? 
> 
> Anyways, I want your opinions on the next chapter. I’m not sure if I want to do a POV from one of the skells when reader’s gone, or just continue along with the story and let it be a mystery. (A mystery that would be hinted at, but a mystery nonetheless)
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!!


	28. A Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys have a chit-chat while you’re gone.

The rag-tag group of skeleton monsters watched as you stormed out of the room. They were completely silent as the sound of the door slamming echoed through the house, almost like a gunshot. Some of them briefly wondered if they should go after you. There was a moment of quiet before the slightly muffled roar of an engine started up, and subsequently faded away. 

The silence dragged on as they stared toward the living room doorway. 

Papyrus was the first one to snap out of the trance that they had all seemed to fall under at your absence. His posture fell as he looked around the room sadly. He couldn’t help but feel disappointed. In himself, maybe, but in the others? Most definitely. He rubbed his gloved hand against the back of his skull, but didn’t say anything. 

“Do You Think She’ll Come Back?” Blue was the first one to break the silence. His voice was small, and if it hadn’t been dead quiet, none of the others were sure they would have heard him. 

“course she’ll be back. this is her house. she’d kick us out before she left herself.” Red answered while everyone else was trying to find their voice. He scowled and shoved his hand into his pockets. 

“i doubt that. i think she’d rather put  _ herself _ out on the streets than any of us.” Sans was confident in his assessment of you. He had known you the longest, after all. He could tell in the way that you held yourself, the way that you interacted with him and the others, that you could never let other people suffer. 

“and how do you know that? i can’t see her soul. that’s not normal. i have never met anyone that could do that. she’s hiding something, and i don’t trust her.” Stretch gave a small glare to the doorway, even though he was sure you were long gone. It was a fact that all of them knew from the moment they met you; they couldn’t see your soul at all. Not your LV, not your Stats, and not the color. 

“what if she’s a mage?” After Red asked the question, several of the monsters tensed up, and began mumbling concerns to whoever was next to them. Mages were dangerous and unpredictable. If they had one right under their noses, or lack thereof, well…

Papyrus shook his head and interrupted before they could spiral into arguments again, “EVEN IF SHE WAS A MAGE, I DON’T THINK SHE KNOWS. AND, IF SHE  _ IS  _ A MAGE, THAT DOES NOT CHANGE THE FACT THAT (Y/N) IN A WONDERFUL PERSON! SHE HAS NEVER ATTEMPTED TO HARM ANY ONE OF US, EVEN THOUGH SHE HAS HAD MORE THAN ENOUGH CHANCES!”

Sans nodded along with his brother, “it took me a while to trust her, but i do.” He directed his attention to Stretch and Red, “even without being able to see her soul. she risked her life for you guys. you’ve seen how broken up she is over what happened to both of your universes.”

Red and Stretch both avoided eye contact with Sans and Papyrus. They were right. Even if the two more skeptical skeletons didn’t want to believe it. 

Red especially knew that you weren’t dangerous. You had gone through the entire underground, his underground, and hadn’t hurt a single soul. Hell, you’d even apologized to him for ‘letting’ his shitty universe get destroyed. And… there was just something about you that he couldn’t quite place. He could tell that you had been through something. He saw it in your eyes. Whenever you thought no one was looking, your smile didn’t quite reach your eyes. But, despite that, you always seemed to radiate a sense of hope. 

Stretch didn’t know you as well as the others yet. And, while he didn’t exactly trust you, he didn’t dislike you. In fact, he thought you were pretty good company. But… he had trouble reading you, and he wasn’t comfortable with that. But, his brother and other versions of them liked you, so that was enough for him. 

“THEY’RE RIGHT. SHE’S TOO MUCH OF A WEAK PUSHOVER TO HURT ANYBODY.” Edge crossed his arms. 

Blue was quick to argue, “THAT’S NOT NICE! SHE IS A GOOD PERSON! AND ANY  _ DECENT _ PERSON WOULDN’T HURT ANYONE ON PURPOSE! NOT THAT YOU WOULD KNOW WHAT BEING A DECENT PERSON IS LIKE.” 

Edge scowled down at the smaller skeleton, “EXCUSE ME?” He took a sharp step towards Blue, “WITH A UNDERHANDED COMMENT LIKE YOURS, I DOUBT YOU KNOW WHAT BEING A DECENT PERSON IS LIKE, EITHER.” 

Blue met the gaze of the taller monster angrily, “OH YEAH? WELL YOU-“

“THAT IS ABSOLUTELY ENOUGH OUT OF YOU TWO! IT’S NO WONDER (Y/N) IS SO MAD AT YOU!” Papyrus interjected, as he gave everyone a disappointed look. A few of them, namely his brother, Red, and Stretch, all sunk into their jacket slightly at the look. “SHE ASKED ALL OF US DOWN HERE TO RESOLVE A PROBLEM, AND INSTEAD ALL WE DID WAS MAKE IT WORSE.”

“DON’T ACT LIKE YOU ARE COMPLETELY INNOCENT EITHER, POWDERPUFF.” Edge pointed in Papyrus’s direction accusingly. 

Before the more boisterous set of brothers could keep fighting amongst themselves, Sans stepped in, “look, she wasn’t asking us to be best friends. she just wanted us to get along. and for some reason, some of us can’t even  _ tolerate _ the others. we are  _ the exact same people _ . there really shouldn’t be any reason we all hate each other so much.”

“i think that’s the problem,” Stretch provided as he fell back onto the couch and slouched down. “it’s almost threatening to be surrounded by other versions of yourself. i don’t hate any of you, though.” 

There was another length of silence as the monsters regarded each other in thought. This time, Edge was the one to break the silence, much to the surprise of the others. 

“I Do Not Hate Any Of You, Either.” He thought himself to be a very reasonable monster. None of the others had given him any reason to hate them. “BESIDES, IF I REALLY HATED YOU, YOU WOULD KNOW.” He may have been reasonable, but that didn’t mean he was a pacifist. He was anything but, really. 

“You Don’t Hate Me?” Blue looked up at him with a small smile. 

“I FIND YOU TO BE ANNOYING AND MANIPULATIVE, BUT, THERE ARE VERY FEW THINGS THAT I TRULY HATE. YOU ARE NOT ONE OF THEM.” Edge knew he wasn’t without his own faults, and he saw no reason in lying to the smaller skeleton. But, had Blue truly thought the Edge hated him? He may have been abrasive, but he didn’t think he had been so bad as to make Blue feel that way. He… admittedly wasn’t the best with feelings. They had never mattered in his universe. 

Blue’s smile pulled into a grin as the lights in his eyes grew, “I WILL CHOOSE TO IGNORE THE FIRST PART OF THAT! I’M GLAD YOU DON’T HATE ME, BECAUSE I DON’T HATE YOU, EITHER!” 

Red scoffed and rolled on his feet, “glad we got that worked out, but if you idiots start hugging count me out.” 

“OH! BUT EVERYONE NEEDS A HUG EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, RED!” Papyrus gave Red a slightly devious grin as he held out his arms. Red grimaced. He wasn’t used to the touchy-feely types. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be used to it. 

“not from you, i don’t.” He stepped back as Papyrus took a step towards him. “don’t you dare.” He barely managed to duck under Papyrus’s arms as they made a grab. Sans and Stretch chuckled as Red vaulted himself over the couch to put an obstacle between him and the skeleton.

Papyrus let out a sigh, “WELL, IF YOU DO NOT WANT ONE FROM ME, I’M SURE MISS (Y/N) WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO GIVE YOU A HUG WHEN SHE GETS BACK.”

Red let out a small stutter as red dusted his cheekbones. “I’m not gonna ask her for a hug. tha’s stupid.”

“so, you wouldn’t mind a hug from her, then?” Stretch’s playful tone caused Red to bury his face in the fluff of his hoodie.

“shut up. i never said that.”

“now i know why she decided on calling him red” Sans tapped his own cheekbone. Red let out a low growl, but Stretch added onto Sans’s comment.

“i think he’s mad that we’re getting  _ cheeky  _ with him.” He added on a lazy wink.

“PAPY!!” 

“I CHANGED MY MIND. I HATE ALL OF YOU!”

“NYOH-HO-HO!!” 

Sans barked out a laugh, “be careful, if we keep it up, he might not be the only one seeing  _ red.” _

There was a chorus of groans.

“HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME LIKE THIS, BROTHER?” Papyrus dramatically buried his face in his hands.

“you guys are all smiling.” Red’s muffled voice pointed out from inside his hood. The one eye light peeking out of the hood fluff was sparkling with amusement.

“THEY ARE OBVIOUSLY SMILES OF DISPLEASURE.” Edge crossed his arms and looked away from the offending skeletons, not wanting to encourage them.

“i don’t think that’s a thing.” And his attention was immediately brought back to Stretch, who was given a harsh glare.

“WITH YOU IMBECILES AROUND, OF COURSE IT IS ‘A THING’.” He made air quotes. There were a few chuckles that slowly trailed off. The banter was… nice. It almost felt familiar to them. 

There was lull in the conversation as the skeletons found themselves lost in thought. They may have been the same pair of skeletons, but they were vastly different. There was no denying that they were similar, though. 

It was Sans that interrupted the silence this time, “so, are we okay for now? no more arguing?” The others all responded with a nod. 

Well, that would be one problem solved. But, now Sans had more questions about you than he had started with. He hadn’t originally though you were a mage. They were all supposed to be dead, after all. So… what were the chances of him knowing two of them? But, then again, maybe they were wrong. Maybe you just had astoundingly bad luck. 

“so have you picked a room yet?” Stretch quickly changed the subject after everyone had agreed, much to the relief of most of the monsters in the room.

“I THINK I HAVE! I’M GONNA TAKE THE ROOM NEXT TO THE ATTIC!” Blue grinned up at his brother, the stars back in his eyes.

“really? after you decided you didn’t want that room? i thought you wanted to be next to the stairs?” Stretch asked. He was used to his brother’s antics, but the others seemed a bit exasperated.

“yeah, what changed your mind?” Sans questions further, though he had a feeling he already knew. 

“I WANT TO HAVE THE ROOM CLOSEST TO (Y/N)!” That would be the best spot to plan sleepovers with you, in his opinion. He was just glad he got it before someone else did. The thought made him smile a bit wider. 

“WAIT A SECOND, THAT’S NOT-“ Edge began to argue, but stopped himself. He cleared his non-existent throat and began again, “THAT IS PERFECTLY FINE. IT PUTS YOU FAR AWAY FROM MY ROOM, AT LEAST.” 

There was a small squeal from Papyrus as he pulled Edge and Blue to his sides in pseudo-hugs. “I’M SO GLAD WE’RE ALL GETTING ALONG!”

Edge immediately went rigid, but he indulged the softer version of him for an uncomfortable second before shoving him away. Despite the rejection, Papyrus didn’t seem the least bit disheartened. In fact, he seemed overjoyed as Edge stepped away from him. 

Blue, on the other hand, happily returned the hug. 

“ugh. how did i know it would end in hugging?” Red’s face scrunched up slightly, “i’m outta here.” 

Before he could disappear, he stopped at the sound of an engine. The others froze as well, looking towards the garage as the familiar sound approached your house. No one dared to make a sound as it got closer. 

Blue and Papyrus exchanged a glance before racing off to the garage. The others didn’t follow.

Hopefully you had cooled down a bit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seemed like you guys wanted the skeletons POV, so, uh. Here you go! I couldn’t decide who’s POV I really wanted it in, though... so I just sorta went with all of them. Hope it turned out semi-decent. 
> 
>  
> 
> ALSO: HOLY BUTTS ARE YOU GUYS FOR REAL?!?! WHY DO SO MANY OF YOU LIKE THIS STORY?!? I am super flattered, and am glad that I can give you guys something you enjoy :D It’s been a really cool process, and I am super thankful for those of you that stuck around after the first few chapter (which admittedly, were poorly written, but it’s my first story, so I don’t have the heart to go back and change them yet). I hope I can continue to write things that you enjoy!!!
> 
> TL;DR: Sorry for the long note, thank you guys so much!!


	29. Mandatory Bonding.

It wasn’t even a second after you pulled into your garage that the door burst open. You shook your head and turned off the engine. With a quick glance, you saw Papyrus and Blue waiting in the doorway. 

You pulled off your helmet and shook out your hair while you with a small sigh. Papyrus quickly made his way over to you. You watched in silent question as he reached out to you.

Oh, now he’s actually lifting you off of your bike. That was… not what you were expecting. Though, you supposed you shouldn’t be surprised. 

He pulled you into a hug. “MISS (Y/N)! YOU CAME BACK! I’M SO GLAD YOU ARE HOME SAFE!” 

You returned it with little hesitance, “Of course I came back. I do live here, after all.” Were they really worried that you would leave them? You bit your lip as a slightly guilty feeling overtook you. You did leave in quite a huff. 

“Hey, I’m sorry I worried you guys, but I wouldn’t do that to you.” You gave Papyrus a gentle pat on his back. 

“I KNEW YOU WOULDN’T!” He spun you around suddenly enough to cause you to squeak slightly.

“Okay, alright.” Thank whatever entity that was looking out for you that you had already dropped the kickstand, because if you hadn’t, your motorcycle would undoubtedly be on the floor. “As much as I love being swung around like a rag doll, and I do, really, your hugs are great, could you please put me down?”

“OF COURSE!” He gently set you back onto your feet. You gave him a thankful pat on the back before tuning to the other skeleton in the room. He was looking at you with stars in his eyes.

“WOW, MISS (Y/N)! YOUR BIKE IS SO COOL!” He quickly shook his head before you could respond, and the stars faded back to circles of light. You… weren’t sure why you felt so disappointed at that. “I AM SO VERY VERY SORRY FOR MAKING YOU LEAVE! BUT, I THINK EVERYTHING IS BETTER NOW! I PROMISE I WON’T FIGHT WITH ANYONE ANYMORE.” 

You tilted your head at him, “Well, thank you for that, but… there’s no need to apologize. I just needed some time to cool down.” You glanced around the two skeletons and into your house, “It’s fantastic that you guys were able to work it out, but, uh… my house is still… intact, yeah?” You weren’t sure if it was something you needed to be worried about, and you would rather be prepared if any physical fights had happened. You really hoped they hadn’t, though.

Your question seemed to confuse both of them. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN?” Blue asked looking back into the house behind him, “WHY WOULDN'T IT BE?” You let yourself relax slightly.

A sigh of relief escaped you as you began wandering inside, “No reason. But we probably shouldn’t stay in the garage all night, hm?” Papyrus followed behind you quickly, but Blue hesitated a bit. You noticed the fleeting glance he gave to your motorcycle before he hurried after the two of you.  Maybe you would find some spare time to show it to him soon. 

You dropped your keys in their usual spot by the front door before making your way to the living room, where you could hear a pair of quiet voices. You peeked your head in to see Sans and the taller figure of Stretch. They noticed you almost immediately. Sans gave you a lazy wave, which you quickly returned. 

Stretch eyed you for a second before giving you a nod. 

… it was progress. You would take it. 

“Everything good here?” You asked, scanning the room for any other skeletons. Sans gave you a thumbs up, and you rolled your eyes at the lack of actual answers before pulling away from the living room. You nearly ran into Blue, who had apparently been right behind you. 

“Oh! Sorry, I didn’t see-“

“DO YOU WANT TO SEE WHICH ROOM I PICKED OUT?!” He didn’t give you a chance to answer before pulling you away towards the stairs. You briefly wondered if he realized that you lived here, and had already seen all of the rooms. But, his enthusiasm was a bit contagious, you supposed. Plus, you were happy that he finally picked a room. 

He rushed up the stairs and down the hall, pulling you by your wrist. With a flourish, he presented his door. The same door to the room that you had originally suggested to him. You gave him a deadpan stare. He argued to hell and back to get a different room. What had changed?

He looked slightly sheepish under your gaze, and began to explain himself, “I Would Have Really Liked a Room By The Stairs, BUT! THEN I HEARD THAT THIS ROOM IS RIGHT NEXT TO YOURS! WE’LL BE LIKE HOUSE NEIGHBORS! WE CAN HAVE SLEEPOVERS ALL THE TIME, AND-“ He cut himself off with and excited squeak, “IT’LL BE SO MUCH FUN!!” You couldn’t help but chuckle. 

“I’m glad you settled on a room, neighbor.” You playfully shoved him, and he grinned brightly at you. “Has everyone picked a room?” 

Blue nodded, “MY BROTHER WAS THE LAST ONE. HE PICKED THE ONE NEXT TO MINE!” 

You nodded and stared down the hallway. In your head, you tried to figure out which room belonged to who. You knew that Sans and Papyrus were somewhere near the stairs, along with their edgier counterparts… but you couldn’t remember if Red and Edge had even told you which rooms they chose. Maybe… maybe you’d need to get some white boards or something to hang outside the doors. 

“HOW COME YOUR ROOM IS ALL THE WAY UP IN THE ATTIC?” Blue asked, moving towards the second set of stairs that led up to your room. 

“Windows. It.. uh, had the most windows.” You distractedly told him as you thought about the room set-up. 

“OH! IS… IS YOUR ROOM OFF LIMITS?” He asked, looking up to your door.

You finally shook away your thoughts, and turned to him, “What? No. Of course it isn’t. As long as you respect my privacy, I don’t particularly care if anyone is in my room.”

He hummed in thought, “I SEE! I JUST THOUGHT THAT MAYBE IT WAS, BECAUSE SANS IS THE ONLY ONE THAT HAD BEEN IN IT.”

You scrunched up your face, “Sans isn’t-“ you stopped. Had any of the others actually been in your room? No. Blue didn’t even know that it  _ was  _ your room until someone, most likely Sans, told him. “Oh. I guess he is. Sorry.”

“WHY ARE YOU APOLOGIZING? IT IS VERY EASY TO FIX!” He seemed to think for a moment before his expression lit up, “WHY DON’T WE HAVE A SLEEPOVER TONIGHT!?” 

A sleepover in your room? You couldn’t find any reason not to. Besides, it would be the perfect excuse for a movie marathon. None of them had seen any of the best movies! You made up your mind in that instant.

“Alright. We can have a movie night up in my room.” You smiled a him. 

“MOVIE NIGHT? DO YOU HAVE ANY NTT MOVIES?!” He bounced on his feet slightly. What was NTT?

“Well, uh. No. But, I do have Disney movies.”

“WHAT’S A DISNEY?” 

Yeah… that wouldn’t fly in your house. You were having a Disney movie night. They would all be there, even if you had to force them. You had a feeling you might be doing that in Red and Edge’s case. 

Blue looked confused as you marched down the stairs and into your living room. He followed quietly. The three figures in your living room looked at you curiously as you stormed over to the movies and gestured to the shelf that kept your Disney movies.

“Pick one.” Your tone left little room for argument as you stared down the monsters in your living room. 

“UM. MISS (Y/N). I DON’T MEAN TO ARGUE, BUT… WHY?” Papyrus tilted his head. 

“Have any of you ever seen a Disney movie?” All you received were blank looks and head shakes. “Then, please pick one. All of you.”

“what are you doing?” Sans eyed you, but wandered up to the shelf nonetheless. 

“ _ We  _ are having a movie marathon in my room tonight.” You turned back to Papyrus, “Would you mind collecting Red and Edge for me?” He nodded before rushing off. 

“YOU’RE INVITING EVERYONE?” Blue asked. He sounded slightly disappointed, but you decided not to comment on that. 

“Yes. Consider it a… mandatory bonding activity.” You offhandedly pulled a movie off of the shelf, “or, if you’d prefer, a lesson in surface culture.”

“YOU ASKED US DOWN HERE TO WATCH MOVIES?” You looked back at Edge, who was tailed by his brother and Papyrus. He had his arms crossed, and you could practically feel the annoyance radiating off of him in waves.

“Yes. We are having a movie night in my room, and I want all of you to pick a Disney movie.” There was no way you were letting him out of it. 

“WHY WOULD I WASTE MY TIME DOING SOMETHING SO TRIVIAL?” 

You blinked up at him, “Trivial? You would be learning about the surface.” You gave him a smirk, “plus, it’s not like you have anything better to do.”  He scoffed and crossed his arms, but you could see him discreetly scan the titles on the shelf. 

“hey, i don’t mind. gives me a chance to get some shut-eye.” Sans added. He also pulled a movie off of the shelf. You narrowed your eyes at him slightly, but nodded nonetheless. 

“doll, if it gives me a chance to cozy up to you, then ‘course i’ll watch your dumb kids movies.” Red began looking over the titles. 

“Gee, thanks.” You would make sure he wasn’t sitting next to you. You looked around at the rest of the monsters in the room, “So?”

At your question, both Blue and Papyrus both began ‘whispering’ between themselves as they chose a movie. With a nod, they both pulled one. And then, there were two.  When you looked back at Stretch, he shrugged and pulled a random one. Your eyes fell on Edge. He glared down at you. 

You pouted slightly, “Come on, Edge. It’ll be fun!” 

“NO.” 

“Please?” You gave him your best puppy dog eyes. He faltered slightly, and then sighed. 

“FINE.”

“Yes!” You rushed up to your room, six skeletons at your heels.

 

—————   
  


One pillow fort later, and you were on your first movie. Papyrus insisted on playing his first. 

“SO HE CAN’T GO HOME UNTIL HE PROVES THAT HE’S A HERO?” Blue asked, clarifying the plot to himself. You nodded. 

“BUT HE’S ALREADY FOUGHT A BUNCH OF EVIL BEASTS! WHAT ELSE DOES HE NEED TO DO?” Papyrus added on. 

“Sometimes, being a hero is more than just fighting bad guys.” You answered, trying to be slightly cryptic. You were only halfway through, after all. You didn’t want to spoil anything.

Your attention was pulled from the movie as Blues eyes began sparkling. You grinned at him before turning back. 

——————

Blue insisted on his movie next, which you had no problem with.

“so, is this set in the future?” Sans asked. 

You raised a brow, “Unless you know something I don’t about giant space pirate ships, then I’m pretty sure that would be correct.”

“THAT CYBORG MAN IS MUCH TOO SOFT TO BE A GOOD VILLAIN.” Edge commented. 

“I don’t know. I think that’s what makes him a good villain. Gives him dimensions, y’know? Plus, I’ve always been a sucker for a good redeemable villain.”

You were too focused on the screen to notice the faint red on the edgier brother’s cheekbones. 

——————

Much to your surprise, Edge had chosen a princess movie. You figured it may have been because of the title, though. They seemed to be enjoying it more than you thought they would.  

“so, lemme get this straight. this chick has the hottest guy in her town after her, and she refuses him for  _ that  _ guy?” Red gestured to the screen. He seemed surprised at the way the movie was going.

“Well, yeah. He’s kind of a huge jerk.” 

“they both are! the beast kidnapped her!”

“I guess. But, at least the Beast treats her like an actual person.”

“I THINK IT’S JUST STOCKHOLM SYNDROME.” 

“You’re such a downer, Edge.”

——————

Sans’ choice didn’t really surprise you. 

“if some of them were still alive when the city disappeared, then how come no one knows how read the language? or knows how to operate the fish-ships?” Stretch asked.

You… didn’t know how to answer that. 

“and how do those guardian things work, anyways? are we supposed to assume it’s just magic? and if new people are born, how do they get more of those crystals? does everyone just magically have one form birth?”

“... Stop poking holes in my movies.”

There was a moment of silence.

“i like the characters, though.” He added.

You chuckled into your hands.

———-

Red had picked a newer movie from the shelf. 

“the bugs are like a virus.” Sans stated. You nodded.

“HOW COME THE KING WON’T LET THE SMALL CANDY CHILD RACE?” Papyrus had seemed genuinely concerned for the character.

“Because he’s a jerk.”

“kids are fu-“ Red got a look from Stretch, “friggin’ brutal.”

The three more laid back skeletons tensed up and gave a slow nod. You… felt like there was more to that story. 

————

“this is just hamlet, but with lions.” Sans pointed out. 

“Yes. Lions, and better musical numbers.” You added.

“PAPY, THOSE CHARACTERS KIND OF REMIND ME OF YOU AND SANS.” Blue gestured to the screen as the two comedic relief characters were on it. Stretch shrugged at his brother. 

You couldn’t help but giggle at the thought of the two of them dressing in drag and doing the hula.

————-

Your movie was last. You had picked one that you thought they might like, but you didn’t think they would have picked it from its title alone. You… hadn’t thought about the sadder parts when you grabbed it.

“WHY ARE THE HUMANS TAKING HER AWAY FROM HER BIG SISTER?” Blue asked.

“IT’S SO SAD!” Papyrus added on, with slight tears in his eyes.

“is this a thing that humans actually have to worry about up here?” Sans looked over to you in concern.

You bit your lip and looked down at your lap. “Sometimes. If… if the government feels like a guardian can’t take care of a child, they’ll take them away.”

None of them said anything else for the rest of the movie. Even you got lost in thought, looking away from the screen and out one of your windows. You didn’t even notice when the credits started rolling. 

Someone gave you a gentle shove, “you alright, there?” You shook yourself out of your thoughts and looked over to Sans. 

“I’ll be fine. But…” you looked around the room. You met the stare of a couple of eye sockets before looking back at Sans. You gave him a gentle smile. “I’m glad you and your brother get along so well.”

You stood up and scrambled out of the pillow fort before anyone could say anything else. “Welp. This has been super fun. Thank you all for joining me,” you made your way over to your bed and sat on it,” you can stay in here for the night, if you’d like, or you can go. It doesn’t matter.” They all watched you curiously as you settled yourself into your bed. You gave one last fleeting glance to the monsters. 

“Goodnight.” You closed your eyes and ignored the quiet whispers of your housemates. They didn’t last very long, and the room went dark as someone flicked off the light. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this was a chapter that happened. Sorry that half of it is just the skeles commenting on movies. It has... some plot stuff in it. :P
> 
> Hope you guys like it anyways!!!
> 
> (Also 10 points to anyone that can list all of the movies. They weren’t obscure, so it shouldn’t be too hard. ;P)


	30. The Morning Routine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wake up.

You groggily sat up from a dreamless sleep. A yawn escaped you as you rubbed your eyes. With a quick glance to the floor, you noticed that the piles of blankets from the previous night were already picked up, most likely from the early risers. It was nice of them not to wake you up.

Well, most of it was clean, at least. There was still a large mound that contained a single Sans, who was out like a light. You gave his form a soft smile, though you knew he couldn’t see it. What really surprised you though, was the other figure that was watching you from his spot on the floor. You blinked a few times, still barely awake and processing what was going on around you.

“Oh. Uh. Mornin’, Stretch.” You greeted him with a small wave. 

He hummed in response. 

You waited a second before continuing, “Um… everyone else already awake?” He nodded.

“you shoulda seen seen papyrus and edge throw red out of your room last night.”There was a light tone to his voice.

You tilted your head, “They… why?”

Stretch looked you over for a second, “he took your invite of ‘stay here, i guess’, and tried to stay there.” He gestured to your bed. You blinked a few times in surprise. He had tried to sleep in your bed? That was kind of odd, but you couldn’t say that it was surprising. You would have preferred that he asked you before doing something like that. Hell, you might have agreed to it if he had asked. Well… maybe not him. But any of the others? You couldn’t see why not. 

There were a few moments of silence as Stretch watched you. Finally, he broke it, “can i ask you a question?”

“You just did.” When he gave you a look, you chuckled to yourself, “Yeah, sure, I guess.”

“why did you say that to sans last night?”

“Say what to Sans?” You knew exactly what he was talking about. And you had a feeling he knew it, too. He decided to humor you, though.

“about him and papyrus. that you were glad they got along. i think you might have meant something else.”

You sighed and ran a hand through your hair, “I meant it to be exactly what it was. It’s… It’s good to have someone you can rely on like that.” You glanced over to Sans, “especially if you need the support. You and Blue are the same. I’m glad you have someone as cool as him.”

He looked you over for a second, “there’s more to that.” It was a statement. 

“It’s funny. Sans said the same thing. But…” you stood up and lightly smiled, “I won’t bore you with my life story. Not today, at least.” You weren’t hiding anything. Really, you weren’t. You were just… afraid. You had finally found people that you liked being around. People that liked being around  _ you.  _ You didn’t want them to think any differently of you because of your past.

“alright. when you decide you want to share, I’ll listen.” Just like that, he was gone. 

You stared at the spot he had been blankly for a few seconds before pinching the bridge of your nose. You let out a sharp exhale before leaving your room. You didn’t bother waking Sans. He would get up and leave eventually… and he could really use the sleep. 

You made your way down to the kitchen with heavy steps. Unsurprisingly, both Blue and Papyrus were rushing around the kitchen, with Edge glaring at them from the bar counter. 

“Mornin’, guys. What’s on the menu for breakfast today?” You were mostly asking to humor them. You could tell from the mess of flour and mystery ingredients that it was most likely some strange variation of pancakes. 

Blue sighed sadly, “WELL, WE WERE TRYING TO MAKE PANCAKES,” You had called it, “BUT WE COULDN’T DECIDE WHAT KIND OF PANCAKES WE WANTED TO MAKE.”

“SO WE TRIED TO MAKE ALL OF THEM!” Papyrus added.

“AND THEY FAILED.” Edge smugly finished for them. 

“OH, WE ARE SO SORRY MISS (Y/N)! YOU MIGHT HAVE TO GET MORE FLOUR. BUT WE’LL CLEAN IT UP POST-HASTE!” Papyrus’ hands found there way to his hips. You chuckled and looked around the kitchen. It certainly did look like there was the equivalent to an entire bag of flour all over your counters, and your walls, and your floor...and your housemates.

“Well, it was a valiant effort.”

“YOU’RE NOT MAD AT US?” Blue fiddled with his gloves. 

“Of course I’m not. Thank you guys for trying to make something. It was really thoughtful of you.” You smiled and rested a hand on Blue’s back. 

“YOU ARE  _ THANKING  _ THEM FOR MESSING UP YOUR KITCHEN?” Edge leaned over the counter, carefully avoiding the flour. 

You raised a brow, “I didn’t see you stopping them from making the mess.” He scoffed and turned away. 

With a soft chuckle, you turned back to the other two, “How about we have something simpler.” You made your way over to one of the cabinets and pulled out a box, “I have dinosaur oatmeal!” You proudly presented it to the pair. They both gasped at the same time, and you handed them the box. 

“HOW DID YOU KNOW IT WAS MY FAVORITE?!” Papyrus excitedly pulled a few packets out.

“Isn’t it everyone’s favorite? It has dinosaurs in it.” At your claim, Papyrus beamed at you. 

“WOULD YOU LIKE A BOWL, MISS (Y/N)?” Blue offered you one, but you shook your head. 

“I’m good. I just want a glass of water.” And suddenly, there was water. Papyrus was certainly fast. There was no doubt about that. You took it with a thankful nod, “yeah, that. Thanks, Pap.”

“hey, (y/n)?” You jumped at the sudden voice behind you, and quickly spun around. Surprisingly, the water didn’t spill. Sans stood a few feet away, holding out your phone. 

“heh. sorry. i think you’ve got a text.” You took the phone from him.

“Oh! Oh. Sorry if it woke you up,” you apologized. When he gave you a nonchalant shrug, you looked down at the screen.

 

**Frisky bits:** **Hullo! Are you busy today?**

**To: Frisky bits:** **Not that I know of? Why?**

**Frisky bits:** **Well, i was wondering if you’d be free for those dance lessons?**

**To: Frisky bits:** **Oh! Of course! Would you like to come over here?**

**Frisky bits:** **Yea. Would you mind if Fell and Chara came too?**

**To: Frisky bits:** **Not at all. The more the merrier!**

**Frisky bits:** **Great!! ^-^ I’ll let mom know, and we’ll be there soon**

**To: Frisky bits:** **See you then :)**

 

You couldn’t believe that you had almost forgotten about that! In your defense, a lot had happened since you… got fired. Shit. You had been fired. You needed to find a job before too long, as well. The house itself may have been paid for, but what about groceries? What about your bills? Running the AC in a house this size was  _ not  _ cheap. For now, you had the checks from the government… but after the houses were built?

After they were built, your house would be empty again. The thought made you more sad than you would have liked. You… you would deal with that when the time came. For now, you had more pressing issues. Like, what style of dance the kiddos would want to learn. 

Maybe you should let the others know. But… some of your housemates weren’t in the kitchen with you. You cleared your throat and channeled your inner papyrus, “HEY! JUST TO LET YOU GUYS KNOW, THE KIDDOS ARE COMING OVER IN A BIT!” 

“you finally doing those dance lessons you promised the kid?” Sans had shoved his hand in his pockets and gave you a lazy grin.

“Yeah. Them and the other two.” 

Sans tilted his head, “other… two?” He seemed to tense up.

“I WASN’T AWARE THAT YOU DANCE, MISS (Y/N)!” Blue pulled your attention away from Sans. 

“Oh! Yeah, I used to teach dance, actually. I, uh, minored in theatre in college, which isn’t exactly dance, but I specialized in musicals, so dance was, like, a third of that.” You sheepishly rubbed your neck.

“MUSICALS? I DID NOT KNOW THAT! YOU SING TOO?” Blue continued to ask you questions.

“SHE SINGS QUITE WELL.” You blinked back at Edge. That was a very unexpected thing, from him in particular. 

“Well, thanks.” You were starting to get a bit flustered. You cleared your throat, “this has been fun, but I’d, um. I should go get dressed in something more… dance-y.” You gave them a tiny wave, but as you turned around, you nearly collided with the monster that was directly behind you. When had he gotten there?

“i wouldn’t mind hearin’ a song or two from you.” Red added a wink onto the end of his claim. 

You raised a brow at him, “Oh, I’m sure you wouldn’t.” You smirked at him, “How’d you sleep? I hope the stairs are more comfortable than they look.”

His cheekbones lit up as he sputtered out a reply, “wh- i don’t have any idea what you’re talkin’ about, doll.”

You chuckled and gave him a pat on the arm, “if you say so.”

“OH, BUT I THINK YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT SHE’S TALKING ABOUT. YOU ARE LUCKY THAT I AM BEING SO GRACIOUSLY LENIENT WITH YOU AFTER ATTEMPTING TO PULL A STUNT LIKE THAT!” Red sunk into his jacket more at his brother’s words. He glanced around the room quickly. It wasn’t hard to figure out that he was looking for a way out of the conversation. 

“so, you- uh. you said that theatre was your minor? what was your major?” He deflected the subject away from himself. 

You decided to humor him. “Psychology.” 

He pulled himself out of his jacket in surprise, “really? no offense doll, but you must not have been very good at it.”

“Why do you think that?” You tilted your head.

“you are a hot mess.” He bluntly explained.

“RED!” Papyrus and Blue both scolded him, but it was Papyrus that tacked on a bit more, “THAT WAS VERY RUDE!”

You chuckled and shook your head, “Rude as it may have been, he’s right. But being your own psychologist is much different than being someone else’s. Plus, my talents lie more in reading people.”

“oh? why don’t you show me then?” Red took a step towards you, a challenging smirk on his face.

“You want me to psychoanalyze you?” You crossed your arms and glanced at the other monsters in the room. “Are you sure? I guarantee you’ll regret asking me to do that.”

He scoffed,” why would i? i think you’re all talk.”

“And if I’m not? No offense to  _ you,  _ but if I’m a hot mess, you’re a complete train wreck.” 

“do your worst.” His confidence of you not being able to read him was actually quite astounding. Did… did he really not think he was an open book? You had a harder time reading Papyrus, for Pete’s sake. You glanced back at Edge, who gave you a nod, as if telling you to go ahead.

“Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” You glanced back at the other four skeletons in the room, “you care if they stick around?” 

He shook his head, and you looked him over for a few seconds. “Suit yourself.” You rolled on your feet while you gathered your thoughts. There was a lot to cover with Red. You could tell he’d been through a lot. Once you found where you wanted to begin, you took a deep breath.

“Depression.”

“what?” Red looked sort of surprised.

“You really aren’t as lazy as you and your brother claim you are. You are just depressed. Like, super depressed. Sure, you may still be lazy, but your depression would amplify that trait.” You made your way over to one of the barstools as you explained, and sat before continuing with you analysis,” Anxiety, which is very unsurprising considering the world that you came from. You are always prepared for the worst. Despite sleeping arguably the most out of all of you guys, you are the lightest sleeper. I would imagine that came in handy in your universe.”

You gauged his expression to see if you should continue. When you were sure that you didn’t find any anger, you kept going, “You joke and flirt to cover up your insecurities. With flirting especially, you seem to be more than capable of dishing it out, but when you get it back, you don’t know how to handle It. Even if you deny it, you crave positive attention, physical or otherwise. You-“

“that’s enough.” Red cut into your little speech, and you immediately stopped and gave him a nod. 

“Sorry if I went too far.” You sheepishly rubbed the back of your neck. 

“yer fine.” He shook off whatever slump he was in and chuckled, “i was literally askin’ for it, doll.”

You shrugged and looked around at the others in the room. A playful smile fell on your face, “Anyone else?” When you got a room full of head shakes, you laughed. “Yeah, I figured.” 

“so, you went to school to be able to do… that?” Sans asked. He seemed slightly uncomfortable.

“Oh, uh. No. I’ve always been able to do that. I went to school to learn how to help people with their issues.”

“YOU CAN DO THAT, AND YOU CHOSE TO TEACH A BUNCH OF SNOT NOSED HUMANS HOW TO DANCE?” Edge’s words seemed slightly more judgemental than you would have liked.

“Well, of course I did. I have… personal reasons for choosing to do that. Plus, I’ve always loved dancing. And… I don’t actually have my PhD yet, so…” you trailed off, no longer feeling like you needed to defend your choice to him.

“WELL I THINK TEACHING DANCE WAS A WONDERFUL CHOICE!” Blue nodded to himself as he complimented you.

“Well, thanks. I appreciate it.” You stood back up, “speaking of, i have to go get ready for the kiddos.” You weaved your way through the kitchen. Before you left, you turned to face your housemates,” Thank you guys. For… everything.” You left before they could say anything else. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay!!!! Another filler chapter!!!! Because I’m sure you all love them so much!!!! (Note the sarcasm) but, it had a few little tidbits of plot relevant things. I won’t tell you what they were... but they’re in there ;) 
> 
> Thanks for reading!!! I hope you guys enjoyed it!


	31. Stay.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have some dance lessons... and some thoughts.

You were sitting on the stairs when you finally heard a knock on your door. Before you could even stand up, the running stomps of one of your housemates quickly approached.

“I GOT IT!” A blur of blue and grey passed by.

You blinked in slight surprise as the door was pulled open by Blue. The smiling face of Toriel was waiting on the other side. She lightly chuckled as the children pushed past her and into the house.

“HELLO MISS TORIEL!” Blue took a step to the side as she wandered in as well.

“Hello again. I do hope everything is going well for you?” She smiled down at him as he nodded happily.

You stood up as the group noticed you. The kids made their way over to you with giddy smiles on their faces. Frisk signed something to you, and you frowned for a second before shaking your head.

“Sorry, kiddo. You still haven’t given me those lessons.” You stuck your tongue out at them and ruffled their hair, “Guess we both have been lagging a bit, huh?”

They grinned and nodded in agreement. You turned your attention to Toriel. She watched you interact with her kid with a warm smile. You couldn’t help but beam back at her.

“Thank you very much for agreeing to teach them today. I know it was on short notice.”

You looked down as Fell attached themself to your arm, “Yeah. It was Frisk’s idea. Ma barely let me go.”

You smiled, “Well, I’m glad you did.” You turned back to Blue, who was chatting loudly with Chara, “Would you mind letting the others know that the kiddos are here?”

His posture straitened as he puffed out his chest, “YES, MA’AM!” You chuckled as he ran off.

You began making your way into the living room, the kids trailing behind you, “I don’t really have a dance studio in my house, so I’ll have the boys help me move the furniture in the living room. It’s definitely got enough space, but I don’t think we want to be tripping over a coffee table the entire time, yeah?”

“What kind of dance are we gonna learn?” Chara spoke up from the back of the group.

“I was about to ask you guys the same question. Do you have something in mind?” You stopped when you reached the living room. Scanning the room over, you decided where your couches and table would go. You supposed that it would be easiest to just move them against the walls.

A gentle tap on your arm brought your attention down to Frisk. They held up their phone excitedly.

‘ _Ballet?’_

You chuckled, “Sure. If that’s really what you want to do. But I should warn you ballet can take years to learn, and needs a lot of practice.” You looked back to the other two, “Is ballet alright with you two?”

You were almost surprised at the determined looks that all three of them gave you. A gentle smile found its way to your face. You would have to work on an extremely simplified version of it. Especially if Toriel was right, and Frisk wouldn’t stick with it for very long. Although, they didn’t really strike you as the type to give up on something halfway through. If you were to guess, you’d probably say that they were trying to find something that they wanted to stick with. Maybe it would be dance. You looked up at Toriel, who had followed the small group into the living room. She gave you a nod.

“HUMAN!” The loud voice of Papyrus pulled everyone’s attention to him. Frisk was the first to dash over to him. Without any hesitation, he scooped the kid up in his arms. “IT IS WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU AGAIN!” He gently set Frisk back on their feet. They quickly signed something up to him, and Papyrus nodded.

Blue and Sans followed shortly after Papyrus. You considered Sans for only a second before turning to Blue. You gestured him over to you, and he happily obliged.

“Would you mind helping me move the furniture? I just need all of it against a wall.”

He glanced around the room before looking back at you with a nod, “OF COURSE I CAN DO THAT! IT WOULD BE AN EASY FEAT FOR THE MAGNIFICENT SANS!”

You chuckled, “I’m sure it will be. If you could do that while I set up the sound system, it would be great.”

“I WILL ASSIST AS WELL!” Papyrus quickly moved to the table as he spoke and lifted it effortlessly above his head. You couldn’t help but gawk at him for a few seconds, until Blue’s voice pulled your attention to him.

Seeing him chastise another version of himself was, admittedly, pretty funny. “SANS! YOU CAN’T SLEEP ON THE COUCH RIGHT NOW! WE HAVE TO MOVE IT! YOU SHOULD _HELP_ INSTEAD!”

The skeleton lazily blinked up at Blue from his spot on the couch, “it looks like you guys got it. you’re doing great. sofa, so good.”

Blue groaned and shook his head, “YOU’RE JUST AS BAD AS PAPY.”

You looked over to Papyrus with a raised brow. He was, unsurprisingly, glaring at his brother. Toriel giggled from her spot near the doorway.

“I believe that you have this handled,” She moved over to you and set a hand on your shoulder, “I do wish I could stay for longer, but I am afraid that I have a meeting today. I hope it’s not a problem for the children to stay with you for a few hours.”

You in turn rested your hand on hers and grinned up at her. “Of course it’s not a problem! They’re all great kids. I’d be happy to do it whenever.”

She pulled you into a quick hug. Wow… she was so soft. Would it be weird to tell her that? You weren’t sure, so maybe it would be wise to keep that thought to yourself. She pulled away and held you at arms length.

“I’ll be just a phone call away. If anything, and I mean _anything_ happens, please do not hesitate to get a hold of me.” She requested, looking briefly back at the kids and skeletons who had, at that point, moved all of the furniture (and Sans). You couldn’t help but chuckle as you gently pulled her hands off of you. It was heartwarming how much she cared about the kids, especially the ones that she had only known for a few days. With how maternal she acted, you were surprised that she didn’t have any kids of her own, other than Frisk.

“There’s no need to worry. I’ll make sure they stay out of trouble.” You shot her a wink, “mostly.”

She chuckled and nodded. A short goodbye was given before she made her way back outside, and to her car. You didn’t wait long before turning back to the kids. They all stood in the center of the room, looking up at ou with expectant faces. You raised a brow in question.

“Can we pick the song?” Chara was the first to speak, and the other two nodded along.

“Uh. Sure. I‘m not the best choreographer, but I can figure something out. You’ll have to pick a song soon, though.” You rubbed the back of your head. You weren’t aware you’d be doing that, but you supposed that if they already had a song, you could work something out. You hoped it was a song you knew. That would make it easier on you.

“We already have!” Fell shouted happily as Frisk held up their phone to you.

You took a second to read the screen. A smirk crossed your face.

“Really? That’s what you’re going with? It’s uh. Not really a song made for ballet… but I can try to do something with it.”

They happily nodded at you and got in the center of the room. You looked back to the crowd of skeletons that had gathered on and around the couches. Frisk signed something to them, and Fell immediately agreed.

“Yeah! You have to! It’ll be a surprise!” They made their way over to Red, who had also found a spot to laze around on the couch, and began pulling at him.

“DO WE HAVE TO LEAVE?” Blue whined at you. You looked between the kids and your housemates.

“It seems like they want it to be a surprise,” Blue groaned dramatically, but you held up a hand to stop him, “ _however._ You guys can sit in today if you really want. We have to work on the basics before we can do a routine.”

“CAN WE ALSO JOIN IN ON DOING ‘THE BASICS’?” Papyrus asked hopefully.

You chuckled, “I suppose there’s no harm in that.” He cheered and joined the kids, followed shortly by an enthusiastic Blue.

You glanced to the other four, who all seemed content to watch. Or nap. Although, Sans was seemingly keeping one eye partially open as he watched the kids. Despite the fact that he was practically melting into your couch, he seemed tense. You shrugged to yourself. It wasn’t really your business, and you trusted Sans.

You looked back to the group, “Alright. We’ll start with stretches. They are _very_ important. Try not to skip doing them if you can.”

———-

“That’s really good Chara! Your form is perfect, but you need to kick your foot up just a little higher.”

You watched as they repeated the movement once more, following your instructions. Once you gave them a nod of approval, you looked to the others in your group.  You wandered over to Frisk and used your foot to gently nudge them into the correct position. You gave them a nod as well. The kids had been doing wonderfully. Their determination was actually very impressive.

Then your gaze fell on the two skeletons. You couldn’t help but chuckle slightly. Well, they certainly had no lack of enthusiasm. You could definitely give them that. But… graceful ballerinas they were not. Their movements were harsh and jerky, and you had to correct them more than you did with most children you taught.

“Blue, when you put your foot down, you aren’t supposed to stomp.” When he did the same thing again, you smiled, “No, no. Like this.” You repeated the movement for what had to have been the tenth time. He watched with a scrunched up expression.

“BUT WHY CAN’T I DO IT LIKE THAT? I THOUGHT DANCE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT PASSION!” He claimed dramatically, while striking a pose.

You laughed, “Well, it is. But it’s also about discipline, and patience, and practice, and expression. With ballet especially, you want your movements to look effortless and precise.”

“WOWIE! THERE IS A LOT MORE TO DANCING THAN I THOUGHT!” Papyrus chimed in from his spot next to you. You nodded and were about to respond, when another voice interrupted you.

“SOUNDS TO ME LIKE IT’S ALL JUST MEMORIZATION. IT’S SIMPLE.” Edge stood up from leaning against the wall and took a few steps away from it. You watched in slight confusion as he did the movements perfectly. Your confusion turned to surprise.

“WHA- HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!” Blue seemed slightly scandalized.

“IT WAS EASY. I’VE ONLY SEEN HER DO THAT FIFTY TIMES AT THIS POINT. REPLICATING THE MOVEMENTS OF ONE PATHETIC HUMAN IS NO STRUGGLE FOR THE TERRIBLE PAPYRUS!”

Blue groaned and fell back onto the floor. You raised a brow at him. You didn’t really like the defeated look he was giving his feet.

“Are you sure you managed to do that just by watching me? Because if you ask me, it looked like you’ve had a bit of practice before.” You crossed your arms as you addressed Edge.

A slight red tint fell over his cheekbones, “WHA- ME? I HAVE NEVER DANCED BEFORE IN MY LIFE. IT’S A WASTE OF TIME.” You rolled your eyes.

“Sure. If you say so, Boss. But just know that I’m on to you.” You turned back to Blue, ignoring Edge’s reply, and reached out a hand. “Now, you aren’t the type to give up _that_ easily, are you?” You looked up at you for a second before taking your hand. You grinned and pulled him back to his feet.

“OF COURSE I AM NOT SO EASILY DEFEATED! I WILL CONQUER THE BALLET!” A goofy grin split across your face as you watched him continue practicing with renewed vigor.

You glanced around at all of the faces in the room. A warm feeling hit you like a ton of bricks. You brought your hand up and gently rested it at the top of your chest. It had been a long time since you had been this… happy.

 _They_ made you happy. You didn’t have much time left with them. A week at most, if you had to guess.

Was it selfish of you to want them to stay, even after the new houses were finished being built?

You wouldn’t keep them here. Not if they wanted to leave. But… it was a conversation that you and the boys needed to have. Maybe you should talk to them about it after the kids go home.

You shook off your thoughts and plastered a smile back on your face. You noticed Stretch giving you an odd look from his spot on the couch. He had obviously seen your little moment, but you were thankful when all he did was look at you.

You turned away from him and back to the kids. You had a lesson to teach.

————

You gave the kids a wave as they jumped into Toriel’s car. After thanking you again, Toriel followed them. You stood in the doorway and watched quietly as the car pulled away. Once it was out of sight, you sighed and closed your door.

You and Toriel had decided that they would stop by again sometime to finish the lessons. They were all such good kids.  You were glad that you met them.

You wandered back to the living room, where the brothers had yet to disperse. You weren’t sure if you were glad that they hadn’t. If they had, it would have given you an excuse to hold off yet another house meeting.

“Hey, I think we need to talk.” You forewent sitting on any of the furniture that had just been moved back.

“ ‘bout what?” Sans acknowledged you as Blue and Papyrus looked at you in curiosity.

“Could one of you wake Red? This, uh. This kinda concerns all of you.” You rolled on your feet slightly. If you weren’t feeling so off, you probably would have chuckled when Edge harshly elbowed his brother, who in turn shot up in surprise.

“Thanks.” You cleared your throat and looked away from the group, “So. The houses. They’re almost finished being built.”

“yes?” It was Sans that had apparently taken up the job of representative for them.

“Well, I uh-“ why were you so awkward with it? Just ask them! “I just wanted to know what your plans were. With the housing situation, I mean.”

Stretch spoke up, “are you trying to kick us out?”

“What? No! That’s not what-“

“if you want us out of your house, just tell us.” Sans interrupted. You couldn’t help but panic slightly at the looks that your housemates were giving you.

“I never said-“

“I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN. YOU HAD BEEN VERY TRICKY WITH HIDING YOUR ULTERIOR MOTIVES, WHATEVER THEY MAY HAVE BEEN.” Was that disappointment that you heard in his voice?

“Would you stop and listen to me for-“

Blue looked like he was about to cry, “BUT MISS (Y/N)! I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS!”

They all began talking over themselves quickly, and you wrapped your arms around yourself. Hadn’t you already had a talk about arguments? ...In all fairness, they were yelling at you instead of each other now. You shook your head. Did they really think that badly of you? Of course they wanted to leave. Why would they want to stay? You just wanted the yelling to stop. You just… you…

“I DON’T WANT YOU GUYS TO LEAVE!” You winced as soon as the shout left your mouth.

The room went quiet, and you refused to look anywhere but your feet. When the silence stretched on, you bit you lip and began moving to the door, still looking down.

You were stopped b a hand grabbing your wrist. You turned and let your eyes slowly follow the arm up the blue sleeve and to a concerned skeletal face. Sans stared at you for a second before moving his other hand to your face. You tried not to pull away, and were slightly surprised when he wiped the edge of his sleeve on your cheek.

… you had been crying. Of course you were.

“I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have- I mean, you can leave if you want to. I haven’t really given you much of a reason to stay, have I?” You let out a bitter chuckle, “I’m sorry, I’m just being dumb. I can’t even-“

“that’s enough.” He stopped you from continuing with a stern voice.

“Miss (Y/N).” You looked over at Papyrus in surprise. He walked over to you and pulled you from his brother’s grasp. “You Think Much Too Lowly Of Yourself.” He pulled you into a tight hug.

“IF YOU THINK WE WERE GOING TO LEAVE YOU ALL BY YOURSELF, YOU WERE SORELY MISTAKEN!” Blue’s voice came from a direction that you couldn’t quite figure out. Although, you couldn’t really see much with your face buried in Papyrus’s scarf.

“you think that i’d give this shit up? I’m livin’ the life here. your couch is like a damn cloud.” Red added.

“I SUPPOSE YOU AREN’T… _SO_ HORRIBLY INSUFFERABLE.”

“ _i’m_ sorry. i shoulda let you talk.” Stretch apologized from nearby, and you felt a hand ruffle your hair.

You let out a watery laugh, that almost sounded more like a sob. What did you do to deserve these guys?

Family was a difficult thing for you… but even though you hadn’t know them long, you couldn’t help but feel like they were the closest thing you had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why? Why did I decide that she would be a dancer? I know next to nothing about dance. Why would I do this to myself? 
> 
> On the bright side, I do know an awful lot about singing. And musicals. 
> 
> Also, if you guys have any ideas about what song the kiddos want to do a dance to, let me know... (I’m not entirely sure what song I want it to be. Shhhhhh.)
> 
> Hope you guys liked this chapter ;)


	32. The Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have a mushy moment with the boys, but it’s interrupted.

It had taken quite a bit of time for you to free yourself from Papyrus’ arms. Once you had, you took a step back and looked up at him with a grin.

“Thanks, Pap. You’re the coolest.” He beamed at your compliment. You looked to the others in the room, giving them each a small smile, “Thank you guys. Really. It means a lot to me.”

“course, kid. ‘s the least we can do.” Sans ruffled your hair.

“Really, though. You guys… have done more than you know for me.”

Red groaned from the other side of the room, “yeah, yeah, we get it. you’re ‘eternally grateful’ or whateva’. now enough with the mush.”

You chuckled and stuck your tongue out at him, “You’re just mad because you didn’t get a hug, too.” You opened your arms in an invitation. He eyed you for a second before giving you a wolfish grin and taking a step towards you.

You dropped your arms, “y’know, what? If you’re going to make that face, then never mind.”

“aw, c’mon doll, don’t ruin my fun.” He gave you a mock frown

You smiled and lifted your arms once more, “Fine. But any funny business, and your hug privileges will be revoked permanently.”

“what’s even the point then?”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN? HUGS ARE AMAZING!” You jumped slightly at Blue’s surprise hug. He lifted you off your feet slightly as the hug intensified.

You chuckled and gave him a pat on the back. He took that as a sign to set you down. Once you were back on your feet, you smiled at him.

“You’re right your hugs are pretty amazing,” You complimented. A light blue color tinted his cheeks as he happily looked up at you.

“Maybe we should-“ you were interrupted by a knock at the door.

You tilted your head in confusion. Who in the world could that be? You glanced toward the door. Maybe it was Toriel. Had one of the kids forgotten something? You began making your way over.

“DO YOU WANT ONE OF US TO GET IT?” Papyrus asked as you left the living room.

“No, thanks. I’m sure it’s just Toriel again.” You waved him off as you got up to your front door.

The knock sounded again. You chuckled, “Alright! Hold your horses, I’m coming.”

You pulled the door open.

“(Y/N)!” You froze and took in the sight that you were greeted with.

She stood on your porch with a large grin, and her arms stretched open in wait. Her hair was pulled up into a perfectly constructed updo, and her eyes seemed to sparkle. And, dammit, her voice still sounded like bells.

“Lilith? What are you doing here?” You made no move to hug her, but she took the initiative and wrapped her arms around you. You didn’t return it.

“What I can’t stop by and say hello to you? It’s been so long!” She held you at arms length, and you briefly caught a glimpse of a large diamond sparkling on her finger. Huh. That was new. How long had that been a thing?

“You’ve gotten so much,” she looked you over, “bigger since the last time we were together. Oh, and you cut your hair!” She reached out and held a lock of it in her fingers. You pulled back slightly and plastered on a nervous smile.

“Yeah, I did. You never stop by just for a visit.” You pointed out. You didn’t trust this.

“Well, that’s exactly why I’m here! A visit! You have this big house all to yourself now, and I imagine you could use some company.” She pushed past you, pulling a suitcase that you had failed to notice into your foyer. “It must be lonely here, yeah?”

“No, actually. My friends live here with me.” You rolled on your feet slightly.

“Friends? Hm.” She looked around, carefully examining the house. She scratched at the banister slightly before looking back at you. “So you inherited a manor, and you’re using it as… a motel?”

You didn’t answer her.

You didn’t think she particularly cared, as she kept talking, “You know, I was a bit confused as to why _you_ got the house. Anybody else would have been making better use of it. You’re just one person, after all.”

You clenched your fists and rolled on your feet, “Like I said, there are other people living here.”

“Yes, I heard. But, roommates are temporary, and you obviously aren’t in any relationships. I don’t think you’ll ever settle down with someone.” Before you could say anything about that, she pushed her suitcase towards you, “You’ll have to take that up to a room for me. I don’t know which ones are free.”

You opened your mouth to argue, but were stopped when another voice joined in.

“who’s this?” You weren’t sure whether you were surprised or not when all of the skeletons poked their heads into the room. It was Stretch that had asked.

Lilith looked between you and the skeletons a few times before a dazzling grin broke out on her face, “I’m her sister! Older, of course.”

There were dramatic gasps from both Papyrus and Blue, and both of them rushed into the room.

Blue reached out a hand to her, “MISS (Y/N)! I HAD NO IDEA THAT YOU HAD A SISTER! IT’S NICE TO MEET YOU! MY NAME IS BLUEBERRY!” She took his hand with little hesitation.

“My name is Lilith. I’m surprised (Y/N) doesn't talk about me all the time. We used to be the best of friends.” No, that was wrong. Of course you never talked about her.

“WELL, I FOR ONE AM GLAD TO MEET THE HUMAN’S FAMILY!” Papyrus held out a hand as well. You were not glad. You were far from glad. You watched with trepidation as the two more boisterous skeletons became enamored with her. Their brothers also stepped into the room and stood a bit farther back.

You felt an arm drape over your shoulders. Glancing back, you were a bit surprised to see Red.

“y’ seem a bit uncomfortable.” His voice came out low enough that the others most likely wouldn’t have heard it.

You looked back at your sister, “later.” It was a promise. You’d have to tell all of them later.

Lilith scanned your housemates. Her gaze froze on you. Her eyes fell on the arm around your shoulder, and she very slowly followed it up to the skeleton that was pressed up against your side. Her grin fell into a smirk for a fraction of a second before returning. She sashayed over to the pair of you, leaving Blue and Paps in the middle of speaking.

“I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure.” She held up her hand, “Lilith.”

He raised a brow one and stared at her outstretched hand. He made no move to take it.

“red.” He stated.

She batted her eyelashes, and you had to stop yourself from grimacing, “Red, huh? I like it. It suits you.”

You unwrapped yourself from him and gave his wrist a pat as you dropped his arm. You let out a soft sigh and took a few steps towards the living room. You caught Sans’ eye as he looked between you and your sister.

“did you invite her to stay?” His attention was on the suitcase.

“We’re family! Of course I can stay!” Your sister crossed her arms, but her smile remained.

“i wasn’t asking you. (y/n) can speak for herself.” You were taken aback by his harsh tone, and by the looks of it, so was she.

“I, uh. No. I didn’t even know she was going to be here.” You answered. You looked to your sister, a frown on her face. You had an internal debate with yourself for a few seconds. You knew that you would regret whichever decision you made.

“She can stay for _dinner_.” You decided, stressing the word dinner.

“Oh, but I was prepared to stay longer! I even took time off of work!” She gestured to her suitcase. “I drove all the way here to see you, and you only want me here a couple of hours?”

“Sorry, but I wasn’t prepared for _guests._ So yeah, you can stay for dinner, but then you need to go.”

She huffed and shook her head, “you’re being unreasonable, but fine.”

You nodded and left for the the kitchen without another word. You weren’t really surprised when you weren’t followed. Lilith enjoyed being the center of attention, and she usually was. You were used to it, though. It had always been that way.

You hurriedly began pulling ingredients from your cabinet. The faster you could finish, the faster you could get her out of here.

You sighed. Maybe… maybe you were wrong. Maybe she _was_ just here to visit you. You had always wished that your sister would be just that, a sister. Maybe she was here to finally do that for you. Or… maybe that was wishful thinking. It wasn’t like your sister to change her ways, especially when it came to _you._ You ran a hand through your hair.

“you okay, kid?” Sans took a seat on one of the barstools and watched you as you threw food together.

“I’m… I’ll be fine. But, if you guys are going to stay here, I think we need to have a talk.”

“i know your family’s a sore subject. we’d understand if you didn’t want to talk about it.”

You looked back at him. You trusted them. Maybe you even _wanted_ to tell them. You hadn’t told your past to anybody, and they deserved to know more than anyone else.

“We’ll talk after she leaves.”

He hummed, “do ya want us to chase her off?”

You chuckled, “No. that would cause more problems than it’s worth.” You gave him a smile, “but thanks for offering. That’s sweet of you.”

A blue tint dusted his cheekbones, “‘s no prob.”

You turned back to your food with a small smile. You were glad you had them. The loud voices from the other room reached your ears, and your smile only grew. They… are the closest thing to family you’ve ever had. You haven’t known any of them for a year yet, and they’ve already done more for you than your actual ‘family’ did throughout your entire childhood.

You let a small melancholy smile fall on your face as you faced Sans. You opened your mouth to say something sappy when Red suddenly appeared in front of you.

You blinked in surprise as you took in his uncomfortable expression. “Uh?”

“what the hell is with her?” He nervously glanced back towards the doorway.

“You might have to be more specific?” You tilted your head in question.

“your damn sister won’t leave me the hell alone.” He began gesturing wildly, “she’s relentless! least i know when to stop.”

You scowled, “She’s flirting with you?” Why would she be doing that if she…

You though back to when she first met Red. He had been draped over you, hadn’t he? You scoffed. Nothing changed. She was the same as she’s always been. Couldn’t you have one thing? Just one thing to yourself, that’s all you wanted!

You angrily shook your head and passed your spatula off to Red, “Don’t burn anything.”

He took it in confusion, “wh- uh. alright.”

You brushed past him and back into the room where your sister sat with the other skeletons.

You ignored the woman on the couch, “Blue, Paps. Red’s making food and wanted your help.” You looked towards Edge, “I’m sure he could use yours too if you wanted.”

The skeleton looked between you and Lilith, “I’M SURE HE COULD. I THINK I’LL STAY, THOUGH.” You narrowed your eyes at him. The smug expression told you that he knew exactly what was going on.

“HE ASKED FOR OUR HELP?” Blue asked. You nodded, and he quickly rushed off. Papyrus gave you a concerned glance before following the smaller monster to your kitchen.

You looked over to Stretch, who shrugged at you. Well, at least you managed to get most of them out.

You looked towards your sister. As soon as your eyes found her, you stomped over to her.

“I told you that you were staying for dinner. I’m not going back on that, but after we eat? You are going to _leave.”_ You pointed towards the front door.

She looked surprised at your tone. You had never spoken to her like that before. But, this time, you wouldn’t let her walk all over you and your friends.

Once she collected her thoughts, she stood. “Wha- I... You can’t do that! I’m your sister! I can stay in your house if I want to! It’s not like you don’t have enough space!”

“Space isn’t the issue. The issue is _you._ ”

She sniffled, “you’re just going to leave me out on my own? How could you?! I love you, and this is how you treat me?!”

Any sense of kindness you had towards her immediately fell away. “Don’t you _dare._ Say that to me if you don’t mean it.” You jabbed a finger in her direction. “Love isn’t what you feel, and we both know it.”

“I’m your family, and you’re calling me a liar?!” She was getting really irritated with you.

“Stop dangling ‘family’ and ‘sister’ above my head, because you aren’t! You never cared about me!”

“Of course I didn’t!” Her words stunned you slightly. You knew, but you had never, _ever_ expected her to admit them. “Why the hell would anybody love you?!” Her words hurt you more then you cared to admit. You felt the air shift dangerously, but you were to caught up to care.

“Then why are you even here?! Why can't you just _leave me alone_?” You were struggling to keep your voice steady.

“The house, obviously. You don’t deserve the house! I’m the eldest, I should have gotten it!” She began gesturing around, and you carefully looked over her hands. The ring was missing. Yeah, you figured as much.

You scoffed, “Why? Because I’m not allowed to have anything? And when I finally, _finally_ find something I care about, you try to take it away! You always do this!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about! I’ve worked hard for everything I have!”

“Work? You haven’t worked a damn day in your life. Everything was given to you on a silver platter.” You were just… so mad! How could she?

“You’re wrong! I graduated college, just like you! And you don’t think I had to work hard?” She must have thought that her argument held up well, but it didn’t. You were still right.

“You mean the two years that Mom and Richard payed for? You don’t even realize how entitled you’ve been your entire life! Do you know how many essays I had to write for scholarships? How many part-time jobs I had to take?”

She shook her head, “Oh, you poor thing. It must be so hard to be you.” You clenched your fists at her mocking tone.

“Y’know, my life wouldn’t have been so bad if you would have treated me like a sister instead of- of… some kind of plaything!”

She took a step towards you. You stood your ground. Before either of you could do or say anything else, your view was blocked by orange.

Stretch stood between the two of you, effectively blocking your view of the woman.

“i think that’s enough.” His tone sent shivers up your spine.

Your eyes moved over to Edge, who had stepped forward. He seemed to be closely examining Lilith.

‘I BELIEVE THAT (Y/N) HAS LIED TO YOU.” You had? He wasn’t taking her side was he? After everything she said to you? You felt your stomach sink.

“I AM AFRAID YOU WILL _NOT_ BE STAYING FOR DINNER.” He gestured to the door, “LEAVE IMMEDIATELY.” Oh. You supposed that would be best.

You leaned over and looked around the skeleton that had been blocking your view. She looked between the monsters with an almost defeated look. Then her eyes found you.

She scowled and pushed past you, “Fine. I’ll go.” She turned back and gave you a pointed look, “but know that you’ll regret this.” She left the room.

You waited in silence for a few seconds until you heard the front door slam shut. A sigh escaped you as you collapsed onto the couch and buried your head in your hands. Yeah, you were sure you would regret it.

“you okay?” You felt the couch shift as someone sat next to you.

“That Seemed Very… Not Pleasant.” You glanced up to see Papyrus looking down at you from the other side of the couch. Ah, they were all here. Fantastic.

You groaned and dropped your head again, “How much of that did you hear?” Your voice was muffled.

“All Of It.” Well, at least he was being honest.

“I WANTED TO STEP IN, BUT RED AND SANS BOTH SAID THAT WOULD BE A BAD IDEA…” Blue added.

Red nodded and fell onto the couch next to you and Stretch. “we figured it was somethin’ you needed to do on your own.”

You fiddled with your hands slightly as you thought. You hadn’t expected them to step in, but the fact that they wanted to made you feel a bit better. But, Red was right. It was something that you needed to work out on your own… not that anything had _actually_ worked out.

“Yeah.” You pulled your knees up to your chest. “Yeah. I guess I did.” You looked around at your housemates. They all had various levels of concern on their faces.

You took a deep breath, “I thought I escaped my past a long time ago, but obviously, I was wrong.”Well, there was no better time than the present, you supposed, “If you guys are really planning on staying, then I think we need to have a talk.”

“you sure, kid? last time i asked, you didn’t seem to want to talk about it at all.” Sans recalled as he took a spot on the couch, as well.

You thought back to what she had said. You hadn’t expected her ‘visit’ or the argument, but you knew it would be dumb to ignore it at this point. She had left with a threat, and now that you had other people who could be affected by it? You couldn’t keep everything to yourself.

“Yeah. I’m sure. But you guys might want to find a seat. This could take a while.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. There ya go. 
> 
> Hope you guys liked it!!!! :D


	33. Story Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You tell the brothers a bit about yourself.
> 
> TW: child neglect/ mentions of abuse

“So, uh. My childhood wasn't exactly the best.”

“yeah, i think we’ve figured that out at this point.”

“RED! LET HER TALK” Blue reprimanded. 

You cleared your throat and began again, “That was my sister. Obviously, heh.” You nervously fiddled with the edge of the sofa, “She and I have never really gotten along very well.”

You stopped and thought for a second, “No. that’s not true. She was… I thought she was my best friend. But, that was a long time ago. That was before I understood what she was doing.”

After everyone got comfortable, you began the tale. 

——

A small child walked closely behind a slightly taller girl who looked like she shouldn’t even be out by herself. The child, despite wanting to, didn’t reach for the elder child’s hand. At this point she had known better. No matter how much she would’ve tried, the older never would’ve actually let her. So she refrained from doing so, instead settling for trailing behind her.

Her sister, the elder child, always took her out with her, seemingly enjoying doing so. As the child grew though, she knew this wasn’t the case, but for now she remained peacefully oblivious.

It had quickly become routine for the elder sister to bring her along whenever she was going to see her friends. She always happily followed her sister, glad to be out of the house. The house was too quiet. She had never liked the quiet. 

The girl was much happier out and about, with her sister at her side. She didn’t even mind it when her sister left her by herself. She understood, her sister had her own friends, after all. 

She didn’t really want to play with her sister’s friends, anyways. They all gave her funny looks after talking with her sister. She didn’t like those kids. Why couldn’t her sister play with nice kids? Maybe then, the child wouldn’t be swinging by herself. 

Something caught her eye in the bushes not far from the swing set. She hopped off and slowly moved towards it. She glanced up at the tree above her before gently pushing the leaves aside. 

Aha! Just as she had suspected!

A small baby bird peeped at her from the foliage. She gently scooped the creature into her small hand, and brought the bird closer to her face to examine it. Seeing that it was unharmed, her eyes moved to the branches of the tree. It wasn’t long before the child found a cluster of twigs and string resting on one of the branches. 

She let out a small huff as she looked between her featherless friend and the branch. How would she get up there? She wasn’t tall enough to reach the branch, but she had to get the baby back to its home. 

A spark of determination flashed in her eyes. 

She carefully set the bird into the hood of her ratty old jacket. She would have to be very,  _ very  _ careful not to fall.

With all the strength she could muster, she hoisted herself onto the lowest branch. Once she found her balance, it didn’t take long for the child to weave herself through the branches, and to the place she needed to be. 

With a soft smile, she looked over the nest, where two other tiny birds screamed up at her. A gentle smile fell on her face as she returned the third. She watched them for only a moment more before dropping back to the ground. 

She fell on her feet with a dull thud, losing her balance and falling onto her side. She let out a small grunt as she stood back up and dusted herself off. Her hip would most likely bruise, but that would be okay. At least she had gotten the little bird back to its family. 

At the thought of family, she glanced around the park in search of her sister. She was slightly confused when she didn’t find anybody at the park. Where had her sister and her friends gone? They had just been right over there!

The child began to get worried. Where was her sister? Was she okay? Maybe… maybe it would be be best if she went home. Her mother would know what to do! Her house wasn’t that far. She was sure she could get back all by herself. 

And get back she did. She was very surprised when her mother was already waiting for her by the front door. She rushed up and pointed back towards the park.

“Mama, Lilith is-“ 

“Get inside right now.” You blinked up at her in surprise. She was mad at you. Why was she mad at you?

“But, Mom! She-“ The older sibling poked her head out from the doorway. 

“Oh.” The child did not know what else to say. 

“Your sister told me what happened. I cannot believe that you would do that!” The girl’s mother scolded her. She became even more confused. 

“I don’t understand.”

“Of course you don’t! You can’t just run away from your sister! She took you to the park out of the kindness of her heart, and you do that?! She doesn’t  _ have  _ to take you anywhere!”

What was going on? She hadn’t run away. Maybe her sister thought she had when she was up in the tree. 

“I’m sorry.” She apologized, though she had done nothing wrong. 

“Just get inside, and go to your room.” Her mom went back inside.

The older sibling stared at her for a few more seconds before sticking her tounge out and quickly following her mother.

The kid was left alone again, this time wondering what she had done wrong.

——

“so she’s always been like that, huh?” Sans asked. 

“Yeah, I guess. She was always so persistent. She was  _ already  _ the favorite child, and yet she constantly got me in trouble for things I didn’t even do.” You looked down at the floor, “I got used to it after a while.”

“your parents picked favorites? that’s dumb.” Stretch gave his opinion, and sunk further into the couch.

“Yeah. It was… wrong of them to do that, but… I can’t say I don’t understand. It was a horrible, terrible, messed up thing, but, still.”

“WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?” Papyrus looked at you sadly from his spot on the arm of the couch. 

You sighed and ran a hand through your hair, “Because… because I was a mistake.”

“woah, doll, let’s not-“ you stopped Red before he could finish.

“No, you don’t understand. Mom was… she used to drink a lot. Her husband of both then and now, Richard, only wanted one kid.  _ She  _ only wanted one kid. Richard isn’t… Richard isn’t my father. I never met my father. So every time either of them looked at me all they saw was her faults. All of her past mistakes. She started drinking more after I was born.”

You bit your bottom lip, “They like to throw around a lot of hurtful words. Worthless, good for nothing, can’t do anything right, better if I’d have never been born.  Growing up, I just got used to them… I just… accepted them.”

“shit, kid. i had no idea.” 

You let out a bitter chuckle, “I know. You couldn’t have. Not really.” You took a deep breath once more. 

“My sister only got worse as we got older. Her parents started putting her in a bunch of classes, which by extension meant  _ I  _ got put in the classes.” You shook your head, “I think that they would have done anything to get me out of the house. But she changed the classes that she was in so fast that we never actually learned anything in them. That was fine with me, though. I really didn’t care about any of them anyways. There was only one that made me really happy.”

——

Now slightly older, the young girl followed her mother and older sister into the building. She didn’t bother looking around. They wouldn’t be there more than once. They never had. The young girl had become indifferent to the classes she had been dragged around to.

Archery, horseback, soccer, cheerleading, Girl Scouts, you name it, and she had done it. This was just another thing to add to the list. Dance. 

She held back a sigh as they were led back to a room where several other kids sat around waiting for the teacher. Her sister quickly moved to take a spot at the front of the room. It didn’t take long for her to decide that she wanted to be as far away from the front as possible. 

It was another few minutes before the teacher rushed in. The girl watched as the woman threw her bag down and stood at the front of the room.

“Hello, everyone! I’m very sorry that I’m late.” Her voice was soft, and the girl decided that she thought it was very pretty. “My name is Brissa, and I’ll be your teacher. It’s lovely to see such bright new faces with me today!”

The child found herself smiling at the womans beaming smile and bright attitude. She looked over each child before standing strait and rolling her shoulders. 

“Now, this may seem a little out of the ordinary and silly, but I’m going to play a song, and I want you to show me what you already know. It will help me determine what you know, as well as help you guys to loosen up a bit.” She glanced around the room, “Now, would any of you like to go first?”

Unsurprisingly, the girl’s sister was the first to volunteer. She stood at the front of the room and gave her sibling a smug glance as the music started. Lilith swung around the front of the room. Once she had finished, the teacher gave her a few claps.

“That was good for your first time! I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it in no time at all.” The teacher’s complement caused her to puff out her chest slightly. She glanced smugly at her little sister once more as she sat down.

The girl watched as kid after kid moved up to the front of the room and did their best dance. She fiddled with her fingers nervously as the last kid sat down. The teacher made eye contact with her, and the girl obediently rose to her feet when she was gestured up to the front. 

The song started, and the girl let her eyes fall closed. She waited a second as she let the beat sink in. Her eyes opened and she carefully moved with the rhythm of the music. Twist. Kick. Jump. Sway. She took in a breath and gently hummed along with the melody. The music stopped, and so did she. 

The room was silent for a moment, before the teacher leaned down to her level with a bright smile, “That was absolutely amazing! Have you had dance lessons before?” The child shook her head. “Well, then! You are a natural!” The teacher gave the girl a gentle tap on the shoulder before standing back up.

She sheepishly looked at her feet as she made her way back to her spot. Happily flustered, she had missed the glare that her sister gave her. 

The rest of the class passed by quicker than any of the others she had taken. She couldn’t wipe the grin off of her face the entire time. Even as she walked out into the lobby, where her mother was waiting for them, she still felt a strong sense of glee. 

Her mother looked the pair of them over. Her eldest daughter rushed up to her side and clung to her. 

“And how was your lesson?” The mother asked. The child knew that the question wasn’t directed at her, so she didn’t bother giving a response.

“I don’t like dance. I wanna do something else, please.” The sister answered with a dramatic pout on her face.

Her mother looked at her for a second, “If that’s what you really want, sweetie.” The older sister buried her face in her mother's side and nodded her head.

The girl couldn’t help but feel hurt. She had really enjoyed the lessons.

“Um. Excuse me?” She pulled her mother’s attention towards her.

“What.” The short response only caused the girl to get more nervous. She shook it off and gathered up all of the bravery she had within her. 

“I really liked doing dance. Can I keep doing the lessons?” She looked up at her mother hopefully.

Before her mother could answer, another voice cut into the conversation, “Good afternoon, Ma’am. Your kids did wonderfully in the lessons, and I must say, your daughter is a natural dancer. 

Your mother turned up her nose slightly, “I’m sure she is! My little girl has always been amazing at everything she does! Lilith is very talented.” She bragged about the girl’s sister.

The teacher tilted her head, “Lilith? Oh! She did well, but I was talking about (Y/N)!”

Her mother froze. She slowly looked down at the daughter in question.

“I think it’s best we take our leave. Don’t count on us being back.” The mother grabbed the wrist of the young girl, who gave one last sad smile to the teacher before she was pulled out of the building.

——

“THAT WAS NOT VERY NICE OF THEM!” Blue complained loudly.

“DID YOU END UP GOING BACK FOR LESSONS?” Edge was surprising you with how invested he seemed to be in your stories.

“Well, kinda. I ran into Brissa not long after that at my school. She was picking up her own kid and noticed me. She offered me free classes if I wanted them.” You had a melancholy smile at the memory, “Of course I jumped at the chance. It was the most fun I had ever had.”

“so that’s why you’re a dance teacher instead of a psychologist?” You nodded at Red’s question.

“That was when I started spending less and less time with my sister and my mom. I graduated high school the same year as my sister, and then I left to live on my college campus.”

“same year? but she’s your older sister.” Sans had, at some point moved so that he was draped across the couch, as well as several laps. 

“Yeah, well. As soon as I was old enough to understand what was happening, I did everything I could to get away as soon as I could.” You squirmed slightly to get comfortable again, “Skipped a few grades, got all of the scholarship money I possibly could, started saving money at 13 to get my bike, and I got out of there… not that I put myself in a much better situation.” 

You let out another humorless chuckle, “Actually, it was much worse. I put myself in a worse situation. At least… at least with my family, they never really hurt me physically. They just ignored me for the most part.”

“WHAT HAPPENED?” You stared up at Papyrus for a few seconds.

“I… met a guy my first year of college. I…I thought he was different than what he really was. He was nice, at first. But then he wasn’t. I let it go on for way too long, but I’m out of the situation now.”

“that was much more vague than your other stories, doll.” Red looked you over.

“I don’t think I’m ready to talk about it just yet. It… wasn’t that long ago.” 

The room went quiet as your housemates took in the information you had given them. The heavy feeling in your stomach had yet to let up. Maybe… maybe you shouldn’t have told them all of that. What if your past changed what they thought about you? You wouldn’t be surprised if they decided to leave.

“Do You Think…” you looked up at Papyrus once more. “MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE ANOTHER MOVIE NIGHT OUT HERE IN THE LIVING ROOM!” You gave him a soft smile. You knew that he was trying to draw attention away from the previous conversation and lighten the mood, and you appreciated it. 

“Sure, Pap. If you want to.” You flicked your head in the direction of your movie shelf. “Go ahead and pick one.” He quickly pulled something off the shelf and returned to the couch. No one else moved from their spots, seemingly lost in thought. 

You didn’t really pay any attention as the sound of a movie started up in the background. A weight settled on your head, and you looked over at Papyrus. He gave you a small smile and looked back to the screen. You found yourself relaxing slightly as he began fiddling with your hair. 

Your eyes grew heavy, and before you knew it, the world got dark as sleep overtook you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnnddddd... there! A backstory chapter for you nerds. Hope you like it!!
> 
> Also, thank you all so much for all the comments!! I, too, want to punch Lilith!
> 
> Also, also: Just as a disclaimer; I do not condone the actions of the family at all. The only reason reader seemed so blasé about her past is because she grew up with it, and has littteraly heard people tell her those things her entire life. Her family is a bunch of horrible, terrible people, and she knows that.
> 
> Okay, that’s all. Next update will be significantly more lighthearted. ^-^


	34. New Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have had a long couple of days. You would continue to have some long days.

You hummed softly and buried your face further into the soft fabric. A soft breath told you that it smelled of smoke and something sweet that you couldn’t quite place.

Wait… what?

You scrunched up your face slightly and pulled your head away from the your makeshift pillow. You blearily blinked open your eyes and immediately tensed up. Your ‘pillow’ had been a skeleton that had settled himself in the corner between the arm of the couch.

You began to pull away from Stretch, but were stopped by more weight on you. Slowly, you let your gaze move down, only to find Sans still draped over the laps of everyone on the couch. You fought a blush at how close your faces were. You tried shifting your weight to move him out of your lap, but you quickly found that  he wasn’t the only weight on you.

You looked further to see a skull buried into your side. Red was leaning on you, one arm wrapped tightly around your waist. You tried to shift slightly, only to feel a stab in your back.

You held back a squeak. Was that someone’s knee? What the hell? You craned your neck slightly more to see Papyrus sitting upright towards the other end of the couch. If it weren’t for the way his head was rested onto the back of the couch, you might have even thought that  he was still awake.

Across his lap, and by extension, the person whose knee was digging into you, was Blue, who was lying on his back and softly snoring.  

Well, great. You were in a giant tangle of limbs and sleeping monsters. How were going to get yourself out of this one?

A chuckle pulled your attention away from the skeleton pile. Edge was comfortably spread out on your otherwise empty loveseat. You gave him a small glare.

“You Seem To Be Uncomfortable.” Well, at least he decided that he was going to be polite enough to use his indoor voice.

“Oh, do you think? I have a knee digging into a spine, and I’m pretty sure your brother has me in a death grip, but I wasn’t sure.” You kept your voice low.

“I Was Considering Helping You Out, But If You Are Going To Take That Tone With Me, Then I’m Not Going To.” You narrowed your eyes at him. He was considering helping you? Why? That seemed like a trap.

He must have noticed your expression, because he scoffed, “I Have Already Taken A Picture For Blackmail Purposes. There Is No Need For Me To Leave You There Now.” Ah, you supposed that made sense, then.

You weighed your options. You could have Edge get you out of the tangle, or you could stay there until everybody slowly woke up and have to face the embarrassment.

“Okay, fine. I’m stuck.”

He hummed and stood up, “I Thought So.” He walked up to you and carefully looked over the pile. He lifted a hand to his chin and hummed in thought.

You only waited another second more before he grabbed your arm. Your eyes widened slightly as he smirked down at you.

“Hey, wait, don’t just-“

He yanked you out of the pile with impressive strength. You couldn’t hold back the soft yelp that escaped you. You were only halfway off the couch when a dull thud echoed through the room as Sans was pushed off the couch, and Red was still firmly attached to your waist.

You yelped once more when he pulled you again, and this time, there was a sharp tug on your hair. Oh. Papyrus’s hand was still tangled in it.

“Okay, okay. Enough! I think you just made it worse.”

“i think he did it on purpose.” You looked down at Sans, who was grinning up at you from the floor.

You looked up at Edge with narrowed eyes. His smug grin made you inclined to side with Sans. You looked back at Red as he began to stir. He nuzzled your side, and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like ‘5 more minutes’.

Back on the couch, which you were still half on, Blue was now sitting up and rubbing his eye sockets sleepily. Stretch had one eye half open, and was watching your predicament with amusement. Even Papyrus, who was least affected by the harsh movements, was waking up.

You sighed and presented your other arm to Edge. He gave you and odd look, and you gave him a cheeky grin.

“Well, We’re already halfway there. Might as well finish what you started, hm?” You wiggled the fingers of the hand that was already in your grip.

Without any further prompting, he took your other arm and pulled you off the couch… and directly onto the floor. Red woke with a start as he landed on Sans. A goofy smile covered your face as you watched the scene. Then, you began laughing.

You laughed until you were gasping your breath, happily hearing some of your housemates joining in. As your laughter slowed you looked looked around at the monsters surrounding you. You let out one last chuckle before spinning up to your feet.

You reached a hand out to the skeletons that had found themselves on the floor. “So much for letting you guys sleep in, huh?”

They chuckled and Red took your hand. You were surprisingly unsurprised when he yanked you back down to the floor with them. You fell on top of him and Sans with a soft ‘ompf’.

“Hey!” You scolded playfully, “I gotta get up! I need to make breakfast for you numbskulls.”

“but you’re so warm. And squishy.” Red jabbed a phalange into your side.

You snickered, “But I’m hungry, you weirdo.”

Before he could argue further, a pair of hands lifted you from under your arms, and swept you up into a bridal hold. You looked up as Blue as he grinned happily at you. Huh. He was a lot stronger than you thought he was. You chuckled.

“Oh. Okay. I guess we’re doing this now.” You accepted your fate of being carried as he began walking out of the room.

As you reached the kitchen, He looked down at you with a contemplative expression.

You raised a brow, “Uh. Thanks, but you can set me down now.”

His grin grew, “ACTUALLY. I DON’T THINK I WILL.”

“Wait, what?”

He shifted you so that you were thrown over his shoulder. You tilted your head, before realizing what he was doing.

He looked back at you just as a sly grin broke out on your face. His smile faltered slightly.

“BETRAYAL!” You shouted back towards the living room. You couldn’t help but let out a small giggle as he spun around to face the doorway.

It wasn’t long before you heard the loud stomps of what was undoubtedly Papyrus. Blue tensed before shaking it off and rushing out of the kitchen, and past a still slightly confused Papyrus. You reached a hand out to him as he saw you.

He assessed the situation for a second before he too understood what was happening.

“FRET NOT,  MISS (Y/N)!” He struck a pose before realizing that Blue had already rushed past him and towards the staircase. He sputtered slightly before following.

It seemed that Blue would really need that head start. Papyrus had very, _very_ long legs, and as fast as blue could run, which was very fast as you were finding out, Papyrus could most definitely still outrun him.

Your grip tightened on the back of Blue’s shirt as he dashed up the stairs. Your stomach was digging into his shoulder a bit uncomfortably, but you didn’t mind. He didn’t really give you much time to think about it before you were repositioned once more.

This time, he put one hand behind your knees, and the other on your back, and lifted you directly above his head.

You screamed internally. It was a very precarious position, and you didn’t particularly want to be dropped. You found yourself holding your breath as he ran down one hallway after another.

“STOP THERE!” Papyrus called from one of the halls.

Blue didn’t oblige. Instead, he found himself back at the stairs. He glanced up at you before setting his sights on the stairs. He took a few steps back.

You took in a sharp breath and grabbed onto his wrist, “Don’t you dare.”

He only gave you a grin in response.

“Blue, If you jump down those stairs while carrying me, I swear-“

And, he started running. Your internal screaming quickly became external.

“Blue!” He didn’t stop. Your stomach dropped

“Blu-“ your words trailed off into a shout when he leapt off of the top step.

You couldn’t help it- you let go of his arm and covered your eyes. You briefly felt a rush of wind, followed by a dull thud. Then, there was nothing. No impact.

Very slowly, you uncovered your eyes. Blue stood at the bottom of the stairwell, unharmed and seemingly a bit confused. But.. If he was down there…

You looked down to see the stairs below you.

“Uh?” What. Were you… floating? You glanced around.

“i always knew that i couldn’t trust these stairs. they looked like they were up to something.” You snapped your attention to Stretch, who was also at the bottom of the stairs, and holding his hand up lazily.

“Are you- I mean, am I? What?” He chuckled at your lack of words. Slowly, he dropped his hand, and you followed the movement until your feet hit the ground.

You took a second to gape at the skeleton.

“I- that.” You were still struggling to find words after that experience.

Blue looked at you sheepishly, “SORRY, MISS (Y/N). I SHOULD’VE LISTENED TO YOU.”

You snapped your mouth shut, and looked between the blue skeleton and his brother.

“That was so cool!” They seemed slightly bewildered at your exclamation. “I mean, first I find out you guys can teleport. Like actually go from one place to another with magic. And then! And then, I find out you can summon these crazy skull lazers! Now you can levitate things?! What even are you guys?!”

“SKELETONS!” Papyrus’s loud voice came from the top of the stairs.

“That is so cool.” If you could have stars in your eyes, you were certain that you would. “You guys are amazing.”

You watched with amusement as all three of them blushed at the complement.

Your smile became gentle, “Thank you guys for trying to cheer me up.”

“we didn’t want you to feel down.” You weren’t quite sure if that was a pun about falling or not. You decided not to comment.

“OF COURSE, MISS (Y/N)!” You smiled at Blue.

“Even though you tossed me down the stairs, I still had fun.”

“MWEH HEHE! WE’LL DO IT AGAIN SOME TIME!” Yikes.

You chuckled and rubbed the back of your neck, “Oh. Uh. Maybe... not.”

“OR THAT! THAT IS ALSO FINE!” He gave you a thumbs up.

“Now, how about I go make breakfast without being carried away this time?”

“CAN YOU MAKE ME DINOSAUR OATMEAL AGAIN?” Papyrus asked hopefully.

“Of course, Paps.” With that, you wandered back to the kitchen.

It wasn’t long before you had made a tower of pancakes, and the dining room table was filled with skeletons who had smelled your cooking. With careful balance, you managed to get the plate to them without your tower toppling over. You returned to the kitchen once more once it was set in the center to grab a bowl of requested oatmeal. With that in hand, you were finally ready for breakfast.

Breakfast was far from quiet. In fact, it had been the loudest that they had all been together, and that was counting when they were constantly arguing. It made you smile when every once in a while, Sans would pun at you, Red would shoot you a wink, or one of the more excitable skeletons asked you your opinion on something. They were all doing their best to keep you included. Even if that meant you being pulled from conversation to conversation, you appreciate it.

Even after breakfast and throughout your day, they all made a conscious effort to keep you happy. It was the same all the way up until you decided that it was time for you to sleep. You really couldn’t ask for better friends, could you?

With that as a final thought, you once again let sleep overtake you.

____

You were met with a bright white light. You blinked in slight pain at the sudden shift before realizing what was happening.

“No.” You spoke out loud, even if you weren’t sure if anyone was there to hear you. “I am _not_ doing this tonight.”

“I am sorry to have bothered you, Miss.” you spun around to face the familiar child. “I would not have if it wasn’t important.”

“What do you expect me to do?!” You shook your head, “Last time, I killed an entire universe! I can’t do this!”

“Killed them? What… do you mean?”

You scoffed, “I tried to take them all with me, and now they’re gone!”

They tilted their head, “Are you talking about Underswap?” Underswap? What was that? When you made no attempt to answer, they continued, “You did not kill anybody. Quite the contrary, actually.”

“I don’t understand.” What did they mean?

“When you tried teleporting all of them, they ended up here. They did not die. While it may be true that their universe is gone, they still live on in the omega timeline.”

That didn’t clear much up at all. If anything you were more confused. “Omega timeline?”

Frisk nodded, “Yes. That is correct. The omega timeline is a safe place for those without a home to go. I brought them there when they appeared here.”

“So, they… they aren’t dead?” You buried your face in your hands and let out a soft sigh. They weren’t dead. They were safe, and alive.

“They are. However, I would not suggest using that method again. You are very lucky to be alive.”

“So I’ve been told. Many times.” You thought back to how angry the boys were with you when they found out what you had done, and winced slightly.

You sighed once more, “I know what you’re going to ask me. But if you’re going to ask me to do it again, I have a question in return.” They waited to hear what you had to say, and you quickly continued, “How? How do I stop it?”

They gave you a small smile, “I do not believe that you will have a problem with it this time around. All you need to do is have hope.”

Your face scrunched up, “I don’t… know what that means. Do you mean, like figuratively?”

They smiled at you, but said nothing. While the cryptic answers may have frustrated you, you knew that there was no way you could let anyone just… get completely erased for existence.

“Alright. I’ll… see what I can do.”

Their smile pulled into a grin, “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet, kid.”

“But I already know that you can do it.” They waved a hand at you, “I hope to see you soon.”

And with those words, the white disappeared, and you shot up out of bed. You inhaled sharply before tossing your blanket off of you and dashing downstairs. You ran all the way down into the kitchen, stopping yourself by grabbing the doorway.

The two skeletons in the kitchen looked confused at your sudden appearance. You zeroed in on Blue and gave him a giant grin before rushing up and pulling him into a hug.

He returned it with hesitance, “UM, NOT THAT I DON’T WANT A HUG, BUT… WHAT EXACTLY IS GOING ON?”

“They’re still alive! Alive, and safe, and not dead!” You let out a small laugh.

“WHO?” Papyrus asked.

“All the monsters I took out of the underground in Blue’s universe!” You clarified happily.

Blue froze and stared at you or a second. The lights in his eyes quickly changed to stars, and he gave you a huge grin in return, “MISS (Y/N)! THAT IS WONDERFUL NEWS!” He returned the hug with enthusiasm, even going so far as to lift you off of your feet and spin you around.

“you guys are making a lot of noise.” Sans peeked his head into the kitchen, “what’s going on?”

“Oh!” You caught his eye and struggled to give him a wave with your arms pressed into your sides, “G’morning, Sans! Sorry if we woke you up.”

“yeah, uh. mornin.” He eyed you as Blue set you down.

“I’VE GOT TO GO TELL MY BROTHER THE NEWS!” Blue rushed off before you could stop him, not that you were really going to.

“what news?” Sans asked after moving into the kitchen fully.

You thought for a second. How would you tell them? You had already made up your mind, and there was no way that you would be backing out, no matter if they wanted you to go or not. Well, you might as well just get it over with.

“I had another one of those dreams last night.” You started.

“no.” Sans’ immediate response took you a bit by surprise.

“Wait, but I didn’t even-“

“i already know what you were going to say, and i don’t think you should.”

You crossed your arms, “Why not? I can’t just sit around! I have to do _something._ ”

He shook his head, “no, you don’t. you already tried doing something, and you almost got yourself killed.”

“That doesn’t matter! What does matter is that they’re safe now!”

“MISS (Y/N)!” Papyrus chastised, “YOUR LIFE IS A VERY IMPORTANT MATTER! YOU SHOULD NOT BE TREATING IT AS IF IT WERE NOT!”

“I appreciate the sentiment Paps, but my life is no more important than the thousands of lives that are in danger.” Your reasoning seemed to put him at a crossroads.

You turned your attention back to Sans, “Look, you know that I’m not asking for your permission. I just wanted to let you guys know.”

Sans sunk into his jacket and looked away from you, “i’m not gonna try to stop ya, but just promise me you’ll be careful, yeah?”

You nodded and held up a hand, with a pinky extended. “Pinky promise.”

He gave you a tiny smile and linked his finger with yours. You gave him a gentle smile in return. He tilted his head, and his expression turned to something more thoughtful as he looked at you.

A throat clearing from the doorway caused the him to quickly drop your hand and take a step way. Blue tinted his cheekbones.

“uh. sorry to interrupt whatever… blood pact the two a ya were just doing.” Red eyed you as you continued to watch Sans curiously. You tore your gaze away and gave Red a smile, as well.

“You’re fine.” You dropped your voice a few octaves lowered your volume to a scratchy whisper, “The pact has already been completed.” You couldn’t help but drop your serious expression and let out a dorky giggle.

Red’s face quickly became his namesake as he looked away from you, “uh. sure, doll.”

You cleared your throat, “Anyways, I’m planning on leaving today. The longer I hold it off, the worse it will get.”

“leavin’? where ya goin’?” Red inquired, but a look from Sans told him all he needed to know. “oh. you’re goin’ off to do _that._ ”

“Yes,” you gave them all a pointed look, “And I will be fine and back before you even know it.”

You began making your way out of the kitchen, “Now, I’m going to go tell the other three where I’ll be, and then I’m getting ready to leave.” And you did. You left the kitchen without any of the skeletons stopping you and promptly made your way upstairs.

You glanced around at the blank doors. Maybe when you get back, you should invest in some whiteboards or something for them.

You knocked on the door that you knew to be Edge’s.

“WHAT.” He barked from the other side.

“I just thought I’d let you know that I’ll be gone today.” You waited a second as there was nothing but silence.

The door swung open and Edge glared down at you, “YOU ARE AN IDIOT.” Oh, it seemed that he knew exactly what you had meant. “BUT IF YOU MUST LEAVE, YOU HAD BETTER COME BACK SIGNIFICANTLY LESS INJURED THAN THE LAST TIME.”

You chuckled, “I didn’t know you cared,” he began to protest, but you stopped him, “But it’s a deal. I know how to get a hold of you guys if I really can’t handle it.”

“I AM AWARE THAT YOU KNOW HOW TO USE A PHONE. BUT YOU ARE STUBBORN, AND I DON’T THINK YOU WILL, EVEN IF IT IS IN YOUR BEST INTERESTS TO DO SO.” He reasoned. And… you couldn’t really say that he was wrong. You would be damned if you dragged any of them into it more than they already were.

“Thanks for your concern, Boss.”

“WHATEVER.” You shot him a wink as he slammed the door shut.

Four down, two to go. You made your way down the hall, and turned the corner that housed both your room and those of the brothers in question. You knocked on the door furthest from yours, which you knew to be Stretch’s.

“I GOT IT!” Ah, good. Two for one.

Blue swung the door open, and you were yanked inside the room without hesitation. You stumbled slightly, but managed to stop yourself from faceplanting. You looked up at Stretch and gave him a sheepish wave.

“blue told me what’s going on.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, “thank you. you’ve done a lot for us.”

“Oh. Uh, there’s no need to thank me. I’m not the best at this whole… saving people thing. I’m just glad you guys are safe.” You smiled.

“so i guess this means you’re gonna be going again.”

“DO YOU KNOW WHEN?” Blue moved to stand next to his brother.

“Yeah, actually. I’ll be going today. I just wanted to let you guys know before I left.”

“OH!” He fiddled with the ends of his gloves, “DO YOU THINK YOU’LL BE OKAY BY YOURSELF?”

You chuckled, “I think you guys worry too much.”

“in our defense, you almost died last time.”

“So I’ve been told.” You raised a brow, “At least three times _today_ , in fact.”

He shrugged, but didn’t reply to your comment.

You rolled on your feet, “Alrighty, then! Good chat!” You began inching towards the door, “If that’s all, I’ll just go get ready.” And, you were out of there.

You made your way up to your room, and prepared for whatever was in store for you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo!! I told you this chapter would be a bit more uplifting :D
> 
> Also, Just to let you guys know. I will be out of town for a couple of weeks, and am not sure if I will be able to update. I’ll try my best, though!!


	35. Hop, Skip, and a Leap.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find yourself in a new universe.

The metal of the watch slowly grew warmer as you clutched it tightly. It had a strange feeling about it, as it always had, that made it feel important. When you found it, you didn’t know how important it would end up being. Now you knew, as you nervously tightened and relaxed your grip around it. It felt like it belonged in your hands. It felt like it was yours alone, and you hated it.

You hated what it had put you through. You hated that you were the only one that could use it, the only one that could bear the burden of the watch. You hated feeling like your life had become the plot to a poorly written fanfiction.

And yet, you knew how important it was that you took on the responsibility. You didn’t know why you were the one that had to do it, but there was no disputing the fact that you were. So you would have to suck it up, and put on your big girl pants.

Deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out. You opened your eyes and looked down at the watch. You had said your goodbyes to everyone, and there was nothing stopping you from moving on to the next universe. Nothing except your nerves.

There was so much that could go wrong! You could end up somewhere dangerous, or you could be hurt, or  _ they  _ could get hurt. Or worse! Someone, or multiple someones were liable to die!  _ You  _ could die. You could die before you managed to do what you needed to, and everyone could die because of that.

But, you couldn’t think like that.

No, you had to have hope. You could do this! You could save them, just like the creepy kid said! They believed in you, and so did your housemates! You felt a burst of confidence.

It was now or never. If you decided to wait any longer, there was no doubt that your nerves would get the better of you once again.

You ran your finger along the crystals in the face of the watch, and waited. 

The dizziness struck you almost immediately. You wobbled slightly on your feet as another wave of it hit you. The, just as before, your vision went white. You smashed your eyes closed at the sudden brightness, and it wasn’t long before you felt yourself scrambling for purchase on solid ground. 

You nearly face planted into the snow. Luckily, you found your balance rather quickly, and glanced around. 

You were a bit unsurprised to find yourself in a snowy forest. Looking up, there was a dull darkness that suggested a ceiling high above you. So, you were underground, most likely in or near Snowdin. A glance to your left gave way to a familiar large purple door. You knew exactly where you were.

Good. That meant that you could get to the Sans and Papyrus of this universe quickly. 

You began walking in the direction opposite of the door. It didn’t take long for you to reach a small bridge with a half-finished gate over it. You had no trouble moving through the bars. You slowed your walk when your eyes landed on a small structure that you knew to be a sentry station. 

There was someone in it. You took a few steps closer in order to see them better.

They were hunched over the counter, a jacket with the hood pulled up preventing you from seeing their face. It was buried in their arms anyways. You could, however see that what wasn’t covered by black fingerless gloves on their hands was, in fact, skeletal. Paired with the familiar shade of blue on the jacket, you had a pretty good Idea of who this was. Unsurprisingly, he was sleeping at his post.

You took a few more steps closer to the sentry station. There was a gentle rise and fall in Sans’ back as he slept. You weren’t sure if it was the wisest idea to wake him, but what other choice did you have, really? You just hoped that you weren’t going to get skewered immediately.

“Excuse me?” There was no reaction. You rolled on your feet slightly and tried again, “Hey! Excuse me?”

He shifted slightly, but kept his head down he mumbled something that sounded a lot like a slurred ‘what’. He made no move to attack you, or move for that matter. You found yourself letting out a relieved breath. Well, may as well just skip beating around the bush.

“Hi, my name is (Y/N),” you made sure your volume was loud enough that he continued to hear you in his half asleep state. “I’m here from another universe.” Was that too blunt? Probably.

But, it seemed to grab his attention at least, as he began shifting to look at you, “what’re you talking abou-“ he froze once his sights found you, and the lights in his eyes quickly went out.

“Listen, I know you don’t know me, and have no reason to trust me, but you are in danger,” you explained. He continued to stare at you, so you continued, “There’s… something that’s been erasing universes, and I think it might be affecting yours. I know you have no reason to believe me, but I really need your help finding it.”

There was a stretch of silence before the lights in Sans’ eyes came back, though they were still dull. 

“so, you’re telling me that you came from another universe in order to save this one, any you need  _ me  _ to help you?” He raised a brow at you.

“Yes. That’s pretty much exactly what I said.”

He looked you over for a few more seconds before standing up and shoving his hands in his pockets. He didn’t bother pulling the hood of his jacket down.

“alright.” Instead of going around the stand, he went directly over the counter in a smooth movement that surprised you slightly. He landed softly in the snow, and you took note of the sweats and sneakers in place of the usual shorts and slippers that you were used to seeing Sans in.

“Alright? Really? Just like that?” You had expected to have to convince him a lot more. 

He shrugged his shoulders, “don’t get me wrong, kid, i don’t really trust you, but i can humor you.” 

You narrowed your eyes slightly, “Well, thanks for that, I guess. But you really don’t want any proof or anything?”

He shook his head, “if what you’re sayin’ is true, then it sounds like you’re on quite the time crunch.”

You hummed and glanced around. He wasn’t wrong. You needed to find the source of the problem before it got too out of hand. But… where was it? Something was telling you that you wouldn’t find it in the ruins again. That would have been too easy. 

You started walking towards Snowdin town. The crunch of snow behind you told you that Sans was following behind you. 

As you walked, you glanced around at the surrounding forest. You weren’t sure what was different about this universe yet apart from Sans’ outfit. But it did feel different from the others that you had visited. There was a certain lightness about it that wasn’t really there in the swapped universe, and it was a stark difference from the edgy universe that had homed Red and Edge. 

The closer you got to Snowdin, the closer you were to figuring out what was different. As you continued, it almost seemed that you could hear something softly in the breeze. You strained your ears in order to try and figure out what it was, but were unsuccessful. You decided that it would waste time to dwell on it for too long, though.

It wasn’t much longer before you reached to town. There were several monsters out and about, but you didn’t notice anything that set them apart. You also didn’t notice anything wrong with the town. Everything seemed normal, or at least you assumed so. You weren’t quite sure what ‘normal’ was for this universe.

A soft sigh escaped you. This wouldn’t work. You couldn’t just wander around the underground aimlessly hoping to run into the problem. That would take way too much time. Maybe it would be best to ask around. An entire underground’s worth of eyes was much better than just yours, after all.

You glanced back at Sans, who still had his hood pulled up over his head, “Hey, have you noticed anything strange?”

He tilted his head, “strange? i don’t… think so?” 

You hummed an continued on. Maybe you would-

“SANS!” You jumped slightly at the loud call. 

Sans tensed up, and didn’t move his gaze from you, “ ‘sup, bro?”

You watched as Papyrus stomped his way over to the two of you in clothes that were definitely different from his usual ensemble. His white button up and black pants caught you a bit off guard. He was dressed so… normally. Even when your Papyrus wasn’t wearing his armor, his sense of style was… accentric at best. 

“WHY ARE YOU AWAY FROM YOUR STATION? WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES!?” He gested back to the direction the pair of you had come from. You chuckled slightly. Had he not noticed you yet, or…?

“i already caught one.” Sans grinned at his brother. You blinked at him in surprise. Wow, way to throw you under the bus. When Papyrus’s sights landed on you, you gave him a sheepish wave.

He gasped and ran up to you, “HUMAN!” He reached a hand out to you, “YOU MUST DANCE WITH ME!”

You tilted your head in confusion, “I’m sorry, what?” Despite your confusion, you hesitantly dropped your hand in his.

“DANCE, OF COURSE!” Without any further explanation, he pulled you towards him in a fluid motion.

“Uh. Right. Of course.” You had no idea what was going on. Why were you dancing? 

He grinned down at you, and that was when you heard it.

Or, more accurately, you felt it. A rhythm and a beat echoing in your head. It was music! A song that screamed ‘Papyrus’ seemed to flow sorcelessly through the area. Your confusion was quickly shook off, replaced by a bright joy and a ravenous curiosity. 

You grinned back at him, a spark in your eye. 

“Alright, then.” You shifted yourself, “Let’s dance.”

That seemed to be the only go-ahead he needed. This time you were prepared as he began leading you around, your steps in almost perfectly in sync. You continued as if you had practiced hundreds of times. If you hadn’t known any better, you might have thought that that was the case. 

He dropped you into a dip, and you couldn’t help but chuckle. He pulled you out of it and threw you into a flawlessly executed twirl. He easily pulled you back to him and lifted you off of your feet. He set you down, and you seemed to know exactly when and how to move along with him. 

Kick, twirl, drop, slide, kick, lift, kick, dip. It felt as though you knew the movements somewhere deep in your soul, and with how smoothly executed the dance was, you didn’t doubt it.

The two of you finished the dance with a flourish, and the music slowly faded away. You looked up at your dance partner with a soft smile.

“YOU ARE A LOVELY DANCER, HUMAN!” Papyrus let you go and took a step back.

“Thanks.” You reached out a hand, and told him your name. He took it happily and shook it with vigor. He was a surprisingly good dancer, as well. You couldn’t help but wonder if  _ your  _ Papyrus was secretly that good. Then, you recalled the dance lessons. No, probably not… but Edge, on the other hand… You chuckled to yourself before shaking out of your thoughts.

You glanced over at Sans, who was looking you over thoughtfully. “You wanna dance with me, too?”

He tensed up, and a dusting of blue covered his cheeks, “I don’t dance.” He pulled his hood over his face, effectively hiding his face. 

You hummed in disbelief, and grinned at him.

Your smile turned slightly melancholy. What if… what if you couldn’t save them? If they died, it would be all your fault.

No, you couldn’t let that happen. You wouldn’t. 

You wouldn’t let this universe die. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was it the one you were expecting? Probably not. Keeping you guys on your toes is my job, though... ;)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!!


	36. Dance, Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find yourself looking for the virus in this strange dance-y place.

“Alright,” You began, “I have to figure out where it’s coming from. If I can find the problem in time, maybe I can fix it.”

Papyrus tilted his head at you, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN, MISS? WHAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED? ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE LAB?”

You glanced at Sans curiously, and he shrugged. “The lab? What’s wrong with the lab?”

“UNDYNE CALLED ME THIS MORNING AND TOLD ME THAT DOCTOR ALPHYS SAID THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WEIRD HAPPENING IN HER LAB.” He explained in one breath.

You blinked up at him as the words processed. The lab! That must have been where it was originating from! Maybe you could make it in time! You glanced back at Sans. Could this Sans teleport like the others? Was it something that all Sanses could do?

“Sans,” he looked at you curiously as you called out to him, “I think I need a shortcut. The faster I can get there, the better.”

He seemed surprised that you knew about them. “you… you weren’t lying, were you?”

“Of course I wasn’t! I told you it was a matter of life and death. I need to get to the lab before the death part happens.”

“A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH?! WHAT IS HAPPENING?” Papyrus asked with concern.

You were going to have to explain this a lot, weren’t you? With only a small sigh, you quickly explained everything he needed to know. You watched his expression shift from curious when you told him you were from another universe, to concerned when you told him about the virus that was infecting his world.

“If something strange is happening in the lab, I would wager that’s where we need to go,” you guessed. “Did they tell you _what_ was happening in the lab?” The question was followed by a thoughtful look from the taller skeleton.

He shook his head after a second, “THEY DID NOT. UNDYNE SAID THAT ALPHYS HAD TO EVACUATE THE LAB, BUT THEY DID NOT TELL ME MUCH MORE.”

You hummed and turned to Sans once more with an expectant look, “So, can you take me there?”

He regarded you for a second before reaching his hand out to you, “seems like this is some pretty serious stuff, eh? you need to get right to the _pointe_.”

You grabbed his hand with narrowed eyes, “Did you just-“

Before you could finish asking about the atrocious pun, he yanked you towards him, and in the same moment, you were pulled into the black emptiness of the void with him. You shut your eyes tightly as your hands went into a death grip on his arm. You didn’t bother opening your eyes again until solid ground was beneath your feet, and the air felt warm against your skin.

Once you finally blinked them open, you glanced around the room. It was very familiar. In fact, it was _exactly_ like Alphys’ lab back in your universe, down to the anime cat girl figurines and the bag of dog food. It was, however, lacking the small yellow monster herself. You looked back at Sans.

“Where should we start looking?” You didn’t really see anything out of place, and the odd feeling that usually came with the problem hadn’t really hit you yet.

He stared over at the door that you had assumed to lead to the bathroom, “i think it’s down in the lab.”

You cocked your head, “But, we are in the lab?”

He shook his head, “no, the true lab. down there,” he gestured to the door as he explained.

“So…” You took a deep breath, “you’re telling me that there is a secret lab beneath the lab we are currently in.” He nodded, and your face scrunched up, “Why?”

Sans shrugged, but you got the feeling he knew more than he was letting on. He walked past you and opened the door before turning back to you and looking at you expectantly. You glanced around him to see what looked like the inside of an elevator.

You only waited a second more before stepping past Sans and staring down the button panel.

“Uh,” You voiced your confusion when it was written in a language that you didn’t understand. Or maybe it was symbols? You supposed it didn’t matter that much, as Sans apparently knew what he was doing and pressed his thumb into one of the buttons.

The elevator immediately lurched, and you felt it begin to descend into the true lab. The mechanical hum was the only sound in the tense silence.

A barrage of questions hit you like a truck as you continued deeper. What was down there? Was it dangerous? How far along had the virus gotten? Could you even do anything about it? Had anyone been hurt already?

You nearly jumped into Sans as the door slid open, pulling you from your thoughts. You let out a tense chuckle as you stepped away from him.

“Sorry about that. I guess I’m a bit tense.” You sheepishly rubbed the back of your neck.

He shrugged but avoided looking you in the eye, “i wasn’t really expecting you to try and jump my bones, but it’s all good. no harm done.”

You sputtered slightly as you stepped out into a dark hallway. It felt a bit unnerving, but it was better than having it be the same blinding white that you had been acquainted with fairly recently. You looked back at Sans for direction.

He seemed about as uncomfortable as you felt. His hands were shoved in his pockets, and the dimmer than usual lights in his eye sockets were scanning the hall. As soon as he began walking, you followed directly at his heels.

“This lab was already evacuated, right?” Just because you were more afraid of the blankness, didn’t mean that you felt any less like you were in a b-list horror movie while walking down the hall.

“that’s what pap said.” His words didn’t really assure you any, despite the utmost faith you had in the taller skeleton.

It wasn’t until the pair of you had been walking for a while that you had been hit with the sudden feeling of dread. You froze in your tracks. It took Sans a few steps before he stopped as well, and turned back to look at you curiously.

“what?”

“You don’t feel that?”

He gave you a confused look, “feel what?”

“That!” You gestured around wildly, “It just feels… wrong.”

He looked around, but still seemed confused. You shook your head and began walking once again, the feeling getting stronger the deeper into the lab you got. You ignored the odd interior of the lab in favor of rushing through it. The faster you got to whatever was erasing the world, the faster you could try to get rid of it.

You slowed once you came to a large closed door. You glanced back at Sans who gave you one more shrug. With a deep breath, you rested your hands on the cold metal doors, and shoved them open.

You were greeted by the exact thing that you wanted to avoid. The white emptiness. You heard a low whistle behind you, and you glanced back nervously at Sans.

“shit. what do we do?”

You pulled your eyes from him and looked back to the room without saying anything. The two of you simply sat there staring in silence for a while, until the heavy thudding of footsteps quickly approached you.

You turned just in time to see Papyrus dashing up.

You tensed up, “Papyrus? What? Why are you here?” You had seemed short with him, but you just really didn’t want to put him in any danger.

He thankfully didn’t seem offended at your question, and instead gave you a small smile, “I’M HERE TO HELP, OF COURSE!”

You frowned, “Papyrus, I don’t think-“

He reached his hand out towards the virus, and you panicked, yanking him away from it.

“Are you _crazy_?”

He gently pried your fingers from the sleeve of his shirt. “I APOLOGIZE, (Y/N). I DID NOT THINK THAT THROUGH VERY WELL, I SUPPOSE.”

You let out an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of your nose, “Yeah. It’s okay. Just, please, _please_ don’t do that again. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“would he have…” Sans couldn’t seem to finish the question. You glanced back at him, and he somehow looked paler than before. You understood what he was trying to ask, and gave him a small nod. He wheezed and braced himself against the nearest wall.

“Maybe it’s best if you two leave?” You suggested, and the two of them looked at you in concern.

“I’M AFRAID I CAN'T DO THAT.” Papyrus rested a hand on your shoulder, “WE WON’T LEAVE YOU HERE ALL ON YOUR OWN.”

“thanks for the concern, kid, but he’s right.” Sans still seemed shaken, but he pushed himself off the wall and walked up to you as well, “you don’t have to do this by yourself.”

“No,” you felt tears welling up in your eyes, “I suppose I never really had to.” You knew that any of the skeleton brothers would have helped you in a heartbeat. It was _you_ that was isolating yourself. How could you keep them safe? It occurred to you in that moment that while their safety was, and is, the most important thing to you, you were grossly underestimating them. They were more than capable of protecting themselves. Hell,  they were probably more capable of protecting you than you were, if you were being completely honest with yourself.

You grinned and pulled both of them into a hug, “Thank you.” You pushed them away almost as soon as you finished thanking them.

With a newfound bravery, you faced the doorway. You would _not_ let this universe die. You refused.

You **_refused._ **

In that moment, you felt a tugging sensation in your chest. You placed your hand over the top of it in confusion.

“What was-“

“HUMAN? HOW DID YOU DO THAT?” You turned back to Papyrus to see him staring at a glowing upside-down heart that floated in front of him. A glance told you that Sans was in the same predicament.

“I… don’t know.” Now, more than ever, you could hear the soft sounds of two distinctly different songs coming from the directions of the brothers. One you recognized from the dance with Papyrus, and the other unfamiliar, but it somehow reminded you of Sans. You shook your head. Later. You would have time for that later. You couldn’t let yourself get distracted.

“The kid told me that ‘I need to have hope’,” you did your best imitation of the monochrome Frisk. “I’m still not sure what that means.”

“can you- uh.” Sans tried to pull the heart towards him, “can you put out souls back?”

You blinked dumbly at him. Those were… souls? Your cheeks heated up once the thought processed, and you quickly looked away. 

“Oh, geez. I’m sorry! I don’t know what I did!” You buried your hot face in your hands.

You heard Papyrus hum in thought, “THAT’S ODD…”

“it was weird,” Sans agreed, “it almost felt like…”

“FELT LIKE HER SOUL WAS CALLING OUT FOR HELP.” Papyrus finished, “YES, I NOTICED THAT AS WELL.”

“that doesn’t mean _our_ souls are supposed to react like this.” His brother countered.

“I’m sorry,” you said once more. “I don’t know how to put them back. Can’t you just-“ you cut yourself off with more wild gestures.

“can’t.” Sans stated simply. “it’s not working.”

“What do you mean, it’s not working!?” You began panicking. What had you done?! You seriously messed something up! The brothers’ calm demeanor only added to your confusion.

The pair looked at each other, seemingly invested in a silent conversation. It wasn’t long before they looked past you, into the whiteness. You spun around to follow their gaze.

It was expanding. It was slow, but it was beginning to make its way into the hallway faster than you would have liked. You needed to do something, and you needed to do it quickly.

“YOU CAN DO IT, (Y/N)! I BELIEVE IN YOU!” Papyrus chimed from behind you, once again resting his hand on your shoulder. You felt… something.

“we’re rootin for ya, kid.” Sans’ hand fell on your opposite shoulder. The something became more so, and you figured out what it was.

It was hope. An overwhelming sense of hope settled in your chest. You couldn’t help but gently rest your fingertips over the area where it felt the strongest.

“What?” You voiced your confusion softly. You spared a glance over one of your shoulders to see Papyrus beaming down at you. Looking in the opposite direction, Sans was giving you a smile.

“whatcha waitin’ for, twinkle toes?”

You looked at him for a second longer before giving a resolute nod and facing the task at hand. Hope. You just needed to have hope. You could do this. You could save them. You would not let them die!

A blinding white completely overtook your vision, and your breath hitched. You didn’t know what was going on. There were so many feelings hitting you all at once, and before you knew it, you found yourself sinking to your knees.

There was a heat in your chest, and it felt like it may have been hot enough that you should have been burned by it. Somehow, though, you felt safe. Despite the overwhelming experience, you didn’t feel like you were in any danger at all.

A grip tightened on your shoulder, and you looked down to find that the blinding white was the _only_ thing you could see.

But you could feel so much. You could feel the hands on your shoulders, and your hair whipping up into your face from some kind of wind that hadn’t been there before. You could feel the cold metal floor under your knees, and the heaviness of the watch in your pocket. You could feel the rhythm of the skeletons next to you, each vastly different from the other. But if you listen closely, you could hear a hint of Papyrus’ song blended into Sans’.

It suited them, you thought. They were perfect complements to each other. And you would be damned if they didn’t walk away from this unscathed.

The white seemed to intensify before everything went dark. You took a sharp intake of breath, and your head dropped. The only thing stopping you from hitting the ground fully were the pair of hands holding you up by your shoulders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowie! Two chapters in one week?! What has the world come to?! I haven’t done that since this story first began nearly a year ago!! And it’s even super plot relevant!! 
> 
> But, in all seriousness, I did it because I’m not 100% sure that I will be able to post at all next week. I’ll try my best, but i’d rather be safe than sorry. Sorry in advance if I can’t!
> 
> Also: I’m not entirely sure which nickname I want to go with for Dancetale Sans. Hip-hop? Remix? Rythem? Something else entirely? I don’t know. What do you guys think?


	37. Those You Leave Behind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Congratulations! You have successfully saved an entire universe!

You weren’t on the ground for very long before you were scooped up into a pair of arms. You struggled to focus on the face of what you had assumed to be Papyrus, but your eyes were having trouble adjusting to the sudden darkness of the lab.

“Are you-“ your voice came out much softer than you had meant for it to, so you tried again, “What just happened?”

You felt the vibrations of Papyrus’ laugh in his chest. Ribcage? You weren’t sure. 

“whaddya mean, ‘what happened’?” Sans voiced from somewhere that you still couldn’t see. “you did it.”

“Did… what?” If you could physically make a noise that sounded like several question marks in a row, you would have.

“YOU STOPPED THE… THING.” You looked up at Papyrus, blinking quickly as your eyes finally started to cooperate with you.

“I… did?” You glanced back at the room you had just been facing, which last you had seen, was consumed by the white that erasure left behind in its wake. All of your nervous expectations were thrown out the metaphorical window (there were no windows here) when it was normal. It was just a room. There was nothing wrong with it, and that horrible twist in your gut was long gone.

You let out a breathy laugh in disbelief, and tried to wiggle your way out of Papyrus’ arms. He gently set you back on your feet, but remained holding on to you, for which you were immediately thankful. Your feet nearly gave out the second they touched the ground. You took a second to regain your balance with his help, and then stepped towards the door.

You glanced at it with a strong mistrust. You were still in denial about having done anything to prevent it, and yet, everything pointed to that being the case. You hesitantly reached your hand through the doorway and waited.

Nothing happened. 

You let out another laugh, and tugged your arm back to your side “I did!” You happily turned towards the brothers, “I did it! I did…” what had actually happened? You supposed that you would have to be concerned about that later. “Something!” You finally finished. You were beyond relieved that it was gone. 

Sans chuckled next to you, “you sure did.”

You cheered and grabbed the sleeve of his hoodie to tug him into an enthusiastic hug. It wasn’t even a second before the both of you were lifted off of the ground by Papyrus. Sans relaxed in your hold as Papyrus spun the two of you around.

“I’M SO PROUD OF YOU! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!” He set you back on your feet, and you in turn let go of his brother. 

You beamed up at the taller skeleton. “Thank you guys. I don’t think I would have been able to without you.” Your hand instinctively went to the watch in your pocket. You had done it, you had saved them.

...But… now what? Were you supposed to just leave? You looked down to the floor in thought. They were safe, but what if this was the last you saw of them? If you couldn’t come back, then they’d just be gone from your life. You hadn’t even spent that much time with them, and yet you found yourself more attached than you were willing to admit.

You shook your head to clear it. That was for another time. You were moping around, and yet you had just somehow managed to save an entire universe! What was important was that they were safe and alive. 

Then you were struck with an idea. You quickly spun around to face the two brothers. 

“You guys have phones, right?” If you could get calls from other universes, then you could still keep in touch with them when you inevitably went back home. 

“OF COURSE WE DO!” As he spoke, Papyrus pulled a bulky phone from his pocket to present it to you.

“why? seems kinda odd that you’re concerned about that right now.” 

“So that I can get your numbers, of course.” You pulled out your own phone and hesitated before opening your contacts. “You guys are gonna need some nicknames, though.”

Papyrus gasped, “NICKNAMES?! THE ULTIMATE FRIENDSHIP TITLE!” 

You chuckled and thought, though not for long. Papyrus would be much easier than Sans.

“Well, how about Tango?” It was the kind of dance the two of you had done when you first met, and it seemed to suit him.

He must have thought so too, as he began vigorously nodding, “I LOVE IT!” You quickly punched his new ‘title’ into your phone before handing it off to him.

As he typed in his number, you turned to Sans with a thoughtful hum, “Well, I could call you Danz.”

He tilted his head, “danz?”

You smirked at him, “It’s German for dance, and kinda sounds like dance and Sans smooshed together.”

“so… it’s like a pun.” 

Before you could respond, Tango groaned, “NO! I REFUSE! THAT NAME IS OFF LIMITS.” He then dropped your phone back into your hands, but luckily, you managed to catch it.

You chuckled at him, “Dang. Guess I’ve been vetoed, then.” You thought for a second more. You briefly recalled the music that you had heard from his soul, “What about Remix?”

“remix.” He tried, before giving you a small nod. “yeah. that’ll do.”

You grinned before passing your phone off to him. “Remix and Tango. It’s been fantastic meeting you guys!”

“(Y/N)?” You looked over to Tango with a tilt of your head. “YOU SOUND LIKE YOU ARE PLANNING ON LEAVING.”

You winced at the small amount of disappointment you could hear in his tone, but nodded nonetheless. “Yeah. You guys are probably safe now, and I have to go back home.”

He looked away from you for a second before he began pulling you back the way you had come from. You were confused, but you followed him down the halls. A glance over your shoulder told you that Remix was following the two of you. You gave him a questioning look, which he returned with a nonchalant shrug.

“Uh. What are we doing?” You finally asked.

Tango glanced back at you with a brilliant grin, “WELL, IF YOU MUST LEAVE, THEN WE CAN AT LEAST SPEND SOME TIME OUT OF THIS DREARY PLACE BEFORE YOU GO!”

“Oh,” You were a bit surprised that he wanted to spend time with you before you left. “Alright. Where are we going, then?”

“THE ILLUSTRIOUS MY HOUSE!” He said as if he were showcasing something exceptionally rare and expensive. Who were you to say that he wasn’t, though?

You blinked up at him, “Your house? But, that’s all the way in Snowdin! And I think we’re in Hotland!”

“IF WE RUN, WE CAN MAKE IT THERE MUCH FASTER.” You blanched at the thought of running all that way. You would need to get through the ridiculous temperatures of Hotland, and  _ then  _ you would need to wade through a lot of Waterfall, which would be no easy feat.

Seemingly sensing your distress, Remix chuckled, “don’t worry, twinkle toes. I know a shortcut.” 

You let out a breath, “Oh, thank the stars.” 

Remix chuckled and grabbed a hold of both you and Tango. 

Tango glared down at his brother, “YOUR ‘SHORTCUTS’ ARE EXTREMELY LAZY!” He looked back at you and sighed dramatically. “I SUPPOSE I CAN MAKE AN EXCEPTION JUST THIS ONCE.”

Once he had said that, you were pulled into a ‘shortcut’, which were getting a bit easier to bare. Sans was right, you thought. The first few really were the worst. That wasn’t to say that it felt normal, however. There was something about it that still seemed… off putting.

The snow crunched beneath your shoes just as the cold temperature hit you. You looked up to see a familiar house with Christmas lights strung up along the roof. You didn’t get much more time to examine it as you were yanked up to the door and gently pushed inside by Tango. He didn’t bother closing the door, but you could hear it shut a few seconds later when Remix mozied his way inside. 

Tango made a wide gesture with his hands, “WELCOME! FEEL FREE TO EXPLORE ALL YOU WANT!” 

You decided to take him up on that offer. You had never been anywhere in this house except for the living room of the personality swapped brothers. Even then, you didn’t really look around much. You had bigger concerns then. But now, you had ample time to poke around where they would let you. 

The living room was simple, yet cozy. It was clean, most likely thanks to Tango, but it felt very lived in. Here was a lumpy couch that Remix had already found his way to against one of the walls. He had a pair of headphones over his head, and was gently moving to a beat as he watched you. You smiled at him and moved on.

You wandered over to the kitchen and poked your head in. You were a bit confused as to why the sink was so tall. Even Edge, the tallest Skeleton you had met this far, would have a bit of trouble. The rest of the kitchen looked fairly normal. You pulled back out and looked to the staircase.

“You mind if I-“ You gestured to the second floor.

He shook his head, “OF COURSE NOT!”

With his permission, you climbed up the stairs and glanced down the hallway. There were two doors, one of which had caution tape crossed over it. There was a small handmade sign in the center of it that read, ‘BEWARE: RAD MOVES’. You couldn’t help but giggle at that. It was very obviously Tango’s room. By process of elimination, that made the door at the end of the hall Remix’s. Your feet carried you to it, and you hesitantly tried the doorknob. Locked.

You pulled away and bit your bottom lip before heading back downstairs. It didn’t really feel right to snoop in their rooms without being invited, so you would stick to downstairs.

The pair watched you as you crossed the living room and plopped down next to Remix. You could hear the muffled sound of music from the speakers of his headphones.

“What are you listening to?” You asked, slightly louder than you needed to. He chuckled at you and pulled the headphones down. Your face scrunched up. How… how did he even listen to music? He didn’t have any ears. Magic was weird, you decided, though you had come to that conclusion a long time ago.

He shook his head, “not much.” 

You glared playfully at him, “That’s not an answer.” He shrugged in response, and you sighed dramatically. “Alright, fine.” You turned your attention to the taller brother, “It’s getting to be around dinner time, I think. And if it’s not, I’m super hungry anyways.” You checked the time on your phone. Five o’clock. “Would you mind if I used your kitchen?”

He grinned, “OF COURSE! WE CAN COOK SOMETHING TOGETHER!” And just like that, he rushed into the kitchen. 

You turned to Remix, “For What it’s worth, I can tell you’re a wonderful dancer just from the way you move.” You shot him a wink. 

His face promptly went blue and he wasted no time in hiding in his hood. You smiled at him even though he couldn’t see it, and stood up to follow Tango into the kitchen. 

It didn’t take long for the two of you to cook- not spaghetti, thank goodness- and to your surprise, there wasn’t much of an issue. You had to instruct him a few times, but he quickly got the hang of it once you had.

Dinner was promptly served in the living room, where the three of you sat in the couch. You and Remix ate in relative silence, only adding small comments now and again to Tango’s stories that he was telling you.

The clatter of your fork dropping on the plate was the indication that you had finished. The brothers fell into silence as you took your plate back to the kitchen, though you could hear a soft murmuring of conversation when you left. Once you were back in the living room, they looked at you expectantly.

Oh. You understood now. 

You reached out a hand in Tango’s direction, “Thank you. Really. I don’t know what I would have done without you.” He gently took your hand, but instead of shaking it like you had intended, he pulled you into a bear hug.

“WILL WE SEE YOU AGAIN?” He asked.

You looked up at him, “I hope so.” It seemed like it was a few minutes before he let you go. You didn’t waste any time before you stuck your hand out to Remix, as well.

Much to your surprise, as soon as his hand wrapped around yours, he spun you before he pulled you into a much softer hug than his brother had. “don’t be a stranger, a’ight, twinkle toes?”

You giggled, “You can't get rid of me that easily, Remix. You still owe me a dance, after all.”

He blushed lightly as he let you go. “yeah, i… yeah.”

You smiled at him and his brother, “I’ll miss you guys!” And you would. You hadn't even know them a full day, but you would miss them.

“WE WILL MISS YOU AS WELL!” Tango admitted, “MAKE SURE TO KEEP IN TOUCH!”

You nodded, “I will. I promise.”

“safe travels,” Remix wished you as a goodbye.

You gave him a nod and pulled the watch out of your pocket. “Goodbye for now.” 

And with that, you gave them a grin before you activated the device to bring you back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnd, there we go! Dancetale has been saved! Don’t worry, though, this won’t be the last we see of the boys. ;)
> 
>  
> 
> Holy butts!!! There are HOW MANY hits on this?! What the heck?! Well. Ehem. I would like to commend your bravery on getting past the first few chapters. They were... really rough. Heh. Sorry bout that. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for the comments and such!!! You are all absolutely wonderful!!! <3


	38. The Welcoming Committee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You’re pretty glad to be back home.

Much to your surprise, you were met with the sight of several bookshelves against a wall. You took a few steps back. You were in your library. It was odd that it would take you here instead of the front of your house like it had the last two times. Was it different every time? You weren’t sure, and you knew that the scientific explanation would most likely be a bit over your head. You just hoped it wouldn’t put you in a wall or anything.You shuddered at the thought and decided not to think about it, instead making your way to the closest door. 

You poked your head into the dining room, but there was a lack of skeletons. You stepped in and glanced into the kitchen. There was no one in there, either.

“Hello? I’m back!” You announced, hoping that someone would hear you. You were not disappointed when the heavy thud of footsteps began coming towards to quickly. 

You barely had any notice before you were tackled by Blue. You were unprepared to catch him, so two of you fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

“MISS (Y/N)! YOU’RE SAFE!” He didn’t bother getting off of you, and instead hugged you.

You were sure that your hip was bruised, but you couldn’t help but laugh, “Blue! You can give me a hug when we’re not  _ on the floor. _ ” 

He sat up and chuckled sheepishly, “SORRY.” He pulled you up into your feet as he stood up.

“heya. how’d it go? you seem like you’re in a pretty good mood.” You glanced at Stretch, who was leaning in the doorway.

A grin broke out on your face, “I did it.”

Blue instantly pushed past his brother and called out to the rest of the house, “SHE DID IT!”

You chuckled as another set of footsteps, this time above you, told you that Papyrus was making his way downstairs. 

“good job, kid.” You spun around to see that Sans had appeared behind you, most likely via shortcut.

“Thanks,” You let out a sheepish chuckle, “though I don’t really know what I did.” 

You weren’t able to say much more as you were scooped up yet again, this time from behind, “I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT! I’M SO PROUD OF YOU!” Papyrus squeezed you a bit tighter before setting you back on the floor. “WHAT WAS IT LIKE?” He began dragging you to the living room.

WAS IT DANGEROUS?” Blue asked, following behind the two of you. Just behind him was the lazier set of brothers.

“Oh, uh.” You were led to the couch, where you sat down, followed by everyone else, who all seemed interested in what you had to tell. Papyrus and Blue both sat on the floor in front of you, looking particularly eager. You caught a bit of motion from the corner of your eye, and looked over to see Edge leaning in the doorway. You tried to wave him in, but he scoffed and looked away.

You chuckled, “It wasn’t really dangerous at all,” You began. There were a few relieved faces at the news.

You smiled at the group and began recounting what had happened to them in a theatrical way. You happily gestured around while explaining, and even got a few chuckles when you attempted to mimic Remix’s deep timber. Eventually, even the edgiest pair joined the group that had gathered around the couch.

Once you finished, Blue and Papyrus both began clapping, and you let out a sheepish giggle. 

“I THINK IT NEEDED MORE VIOLENCE.” Edge stated matter of factly.

“WELL  _ I  _ THINK,” Papyrus spoke up, “THAT IT WAS AMAZING! DANCING, DRAMA, MYSTERY! IT SOUNDED JUST LIKE A METTATON SHOW!” He lamented. 

“the version of me that you found sounds like a wuss.” Red added from the loveseat, where he had made himself comfortable.he shrugged, “guess that just means i’m still the best choice for your favorite ‘sans’.” He used air quotes when he said his name.

You chuckled, “Favorite pain in my coccyx would be more accurate.” He grinned at you in a purposefully unapologetic way. 

“so you figured out how to stop it?” Stretch asked.

“Well,” your pitch went up a bit as you had said that, “I  _ managed  _ to stop it… somehow?”

“you have no idea how you did it.” He gave you a blank look.

“Dumb luck?” You suggested with a shrug. He shook his head and sighed, but didn’t say anything more on the subject.

You glanced over at Sans, who at some point, had slumped against you. He seemed a bit like he was fighting to stay awake. You felt a little bad for the monster, knowing that he never really got much sleep other than the naps he took during the day. You gently gave him a small shove so that he was sitting upright. He looked at you curiously as you stood up.

“I’m sorry guys, but I don’t think I’ll be able to stay up for much longer.” As if on cue, you yawned right after you had said that.

“OF COURSE! SLEEP IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR HUMANS TO STAY HEALTHY!” Blue claimed before standing up as well.

“you must be bone tired after the day you’ve had.” There were multiple groans at Stretch’s pun.

“Well, I’m not going to tell a fibula,” there were more groans, louder this time, “but I am pretty exhausted.” You began making your way to the stairs, “Goodnight you guys. I’ll see you in the morning!” 

There was a chorus of replies as you climbed up to your room. As soon as your door shut, you collapsed onto your bed in a tired heap. You supposed that you really  _ were  _ exhausted. Apparently whatever you had done used up a lot of your energy.

A knock at your door prevented you from falling asleep. You lifted your head and looked curiously at the door.

“It’s unlocked,” you mumbled just loud enough for them to hear through the door.

You watched as Sans peeked his head into your room and gave you a small smile, “hey there.”

You sat up and gave your bed a gentle pat as an invitation. He made his way in and plopped down next to you. The two of you sat in silence for a few seconds before you broke it.

“So, can I do something for you?” You realized as soon as the words left your mouth that it may have sounded a bit rude, so you quickly amended, “Not that you have to want something from me to be in here! You can be in here whenever! That’s not what- It’s just that I don’t usually get late night visits from you, and I know you don’t need to go through my room to get to the roof, because-“

“woah, slow down there, sweetheart,” He chuckled.

You gave him an odd look. “Sweetheart?” You questioned. He had never called you that before. It had always been ‘kid’, so what was with the sudden pet name?

Judging from his reaction, you figured that he hadn’t really meant to call you that. He looked away from you quickly, but ou had already seen the blue dusting along his cheekbones. When he mumbled out an apology, you gave him a gentle shove.

“It’s alright. I honestly don’t mind.” You gave him a playful wink as he looked back up at you. “If pet names from you guys bothered me that much, Red would have already been booted out,” you joked.

He chuckled, “i guess you’re right.” He shook his head and his smile became a bit more serious, “you were right, though. i did come in here for a reason.”

You pulled a knee up to your chest and rested your head on it, “Okay. How can I help you, then?”

“well,” He began, “i got a letter in the mail calling all of us to city hall.” He pulled an envelope out of his pocket and presented it to you.

You sat back up, a concerned look on your face, “What? Why? Is everything okay?” You took the mail out of his hand, and scanned the envelope.

It was a standard white business envelope, complete with an official government stamp in the return address corner. Instead of a name on the top line, it was addressed, ‘To those in the care of Ms. (L/N)’. You frowned a bit at that, and instead turned your attention to the top, which looked like it had been hastily ripped open.

You glanced up at Sans, “May I?” As soon as he gave you a nod, you pulled the papers out of the envelope and read them over. 

They were impossibly monotonous and impersonal, but you supposed that you hadn’t expected anything different. The only hand-written part was at the bottom, a date and time. 

“Is this for all of you?” You asked while still trying to figure out what they were calling them to city hall  _ for.  _

“as far as i know.” He took the papers back from you before you could find the reason. “i’ll spare you the readin’,” he explained, tucking the papers back into where they had come from. “it’s about identification cards. they’re setting appointments for all of the monsters that have paperwork to get them.”

Your mind immediately jumped to the groups of monsters that weren’t originally from this universe. They weren’t there to get paperwork when the monsters first came out from Ebott.

“Did it say what the cards were actually for?” You had sounded more concerned than you had meant to.

He shrugged, “work, mostly. it also said they are, ‘another step towards citizenship’,” he made an ‘official’ sounding voice that you thought sounded a lot like a radio announcer from the seventies. You shook your head at him, but you couldn’t fight the smile. 

You were back to concern in a matter of seconds, “What does that mean for the others? They don’t exactly have paperwork that I know of, and I can’t exactly tell the government that I have the ability to jump between dimensions.”

“that you know of.”

You gave him an odd look, “What?”

“they don’t have any paperwork  _ that you know of. _ ” He gave you a wink.

You blinked at him a few times before your eyes widened in realization. “Oh! When did-“ maybe when wasn’t the best question to ask. “How did they- I mean…” you shook your head, “That’s good. It’d be bad if there were a bunch of monsters that didn’t legally exist.”

“The king n’ queen seemed to think so, too. figured that making up some paperwork for a couple a cousins was a whole lot easier.” 

You raised a brow, “Cousins, huh?”

“it’s easier to wrap your head around than different versions of the same monster would be.”

You smirked, “makes sense. I’m sure it’s a lot easier to explain, too.”

He nodded and matched your smirk with his own, “not everyone can have a degree in quantum physics bullshit.”

You chuckled, “I guess not.” You briefly wondered why he was telling you this. It wasn’t as if he needed your permission to go, and he most certainly didn’t need your help to get there. “Did you want me to go with you guys?”

He nodded, “yeah. you know the city better than us, and it’d be smart to have you come along just in case.”

“Okay. If you want me to go, I would be more than happy to.” You thought for a second before continuing, “Maybe we could make a day out of it. We could go somewhere or do something else. It isn’t for a few days, so I’m sure we can figure it out.”

He stood up and shove his hands in his pockets, “sounds like a plan.” He made his way over to the door, and after pulling it open, looked back at you. “goodnight, sweetheart.”

With a soft smile, you fell back onto your bed. “Night, Sans.”

He closed the door behind him, leaving you in the quiet of your room. Almost immediately after your head hit the pillow, you fell into the familiar weightlessness of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which this is a really short chapter about not a whole lot. Sorry about that. Maybe the next chapter will get published a bit earlier than usual... 
> 
> Anyways, hope you guys liked it!!! Thanks for sticking around for so long with this story!!!


	39. The Sweater Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you have some downtime, and spend it doing very important and relevant things.

The next morning, you had found yourself curled up on your couch with a book in hand that you had been meaning to start for a while. The house was fairly quiet, much to your surprise, though you could hear someone shuffling around in the room above you. In fact, it seemed that all of the skeletons were upstairs this morning. 

At least, they were until you felt the couch shift next to you, and caught a pair of black slippers in your peripheral as he draped his legs over your own.

“Morning, Red.” You acknowledge him, but didn’t bother looking up from your book.

“heya doll.” He replied tiredly. And that was where that conversation ended. The two of you sat in silence as you continued through your book. It wasn’t until you dropped the book to ask him a question that you actually looked at him.

He peeked an eye open at you as you began your question, only for it to die out as you noticed something off about him. Another question quickly made its way to you.

“Are… Are you wearing my socks?” You asked, referring to the pastel blue socks with tiny dinosaurs printed on them that he was currently wearing under his slippers.

“yup.”

You waited for him to elaborate, and when he didn’t, you continued, “Alright. Uh… Why?”

“ ‘cause boss said mine were ‘filthy’ and that i needed to do laundry.” He tapped the side of his skull with a cheeky smile, “but i don’t gotta do laundry if the socks i’m wearin’ are clean.”

You took a deep breath in exasperation before looking him over. “No offense, but your whole outfit is starting to look a little worse for wear.”

He shrugged, “it wasn’t like i could bring my whole closet back from my universe.” He seemed nonchalant about that, but you couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty. He really did only have one outfit, and it was the one he showed up here in.

“Alright, I guess we’ll have to go clothes shopping for you guys when we go out tomorrow.” You shoved his legs off of you and carefully tossed your book on the coffee table before standing up. “But  _ today _ , I’m doing laundry.  _ All of it _ .” You stressed before making your way up stairs. 

You knocked on Sans’ door and waited a few moments before he groggily opened the door.

“wassup,” he slurred, rubbing at his eye sockets.

“Do you happen to have spare clothes right now?”

He gave you an odd look, “uh, probably. what do you need them for?”

“I’m doing laundry, and Red doesn’t have any spare clothes.” You explained, before mumbling mostly to yourself, “Come to think of it, neither will any of the others, accept you and Paps, of course.”

He opened his door a bit wider and took a step back into the darkness of his room. “i can get you some.” He turned into his room, and you took that as an invitation to peek inside.

Despite the darkness, you could make out what seemed to be a messy bed with the blankets and sheets haphazardly strewn about on it. There were various socks littering the floor, and a glance in the corner made you do a double take. Was that a tornado? How did…? You shook your head and decided not to question it. 

As you were examining the room, Sans turned on a lamp (It was really just a flashlight taped to the base of a lamp) and pulled some clothes out of his closet. He turned back to you with a small smile.

“need anything else?” 

“Dirty clothes?” You asked, looking pointedly at all of the piled spread across his room.

He gestured you in, “be my guest, i guess.”

You chuckled and shook your head at him before stepping in and scooping up what you could, “While I pick up after you, could you go give those to Red and Blue for me?” 

He shrugged, “sure.” Just like that, he disappeared, and you got back to the task at hand.

You gathered a good amount of clothes before you spotted a familiar shade of blue tangled in the blankets on his bed. You pulled at it until it came loose, and held up Sans’ jacket. After a moment of consideration, that went into the laundry pile as well. 

You left Sans’ room and made your way to the next. Halfway through your knock, the door swung open. 

“GOOD MORNING MISS (Y/N)!” Papyrus was definitely awake.

“Morning, Paps! I’m doing laundry, and was wondering if you had any?” 

He seemed to contemplate for a moment before shaking his head, “I’M AFRAID NOT! UNLIKE MY LAZY BROTHER, I KEEP MY CLOTHES CLEAN AND ORDERLY!”

You nodded, “Alrighty. Well in that case, do you happen to have any spare clothes you could lent to Stretch and Edge for the day? They don’t really have anything to change into while I do theirs.”

He nodded, “OF COURSE I DO! I WILL BRING THEM THE THE BEST OF CLOTHES RIGHT AWAY!”

You chuckled, “Thanks, Paps. You’re the coolest.”

“OF COURSE I AM! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AFTER ALL!” He rushed to find clothes, and then held up the pile as if showcasing them to you.

You nodded and grinned at him before turning and heading back down the hallway towards both Blue and Red’s room.

You slammed your fist on the closest of the two, “Red! I need your clothes so that you can stop stealing mine!” There was a tap on your shoulder, and you spun around to face the monster in question.

Red dropped a pile of fabric in your arms, and you raised a brow at him. He sheepishly looked away as you eyed his jacket.

“ _ All _ of your clothes, Red.”

“fine. whateva.” He grumbled before tugging his jacket off and chucking it at you. You took a second to look at him. You weren’t sure you had ever seen him without it. He looked smaller without it. 

“Thank you. I’ll keep it safe, I promise.” A small smile settled on your face before you turned away from him.

You made your way to the next victim, who’s door was already open. You peeked inside to see Blue grimacing down at the shirt he was wearing. He most certainly had gotten it from Sans. It had an especially awful pun on it, and the chuckle that you couldn’t quite fight brought his attention to you.

“OH!” He let go of the front of Sans’ shirt and picked up a pile of clothes, “THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR DOING THIS!”

You smiled at him, “It’s just laundry. No big deal. But You guys can’t really have just one outfit, so I figured I’d take you out shopping when we’re out and about tomorrow.”

Stars appeared in his eyes, “REALLY?! YOU WOULD DO THAT FOR US?”

“Of course I would.” You added his clothes to the pile and grinned at him, “I’m sorry I didn’t think about it earlier.”

You wandered out of his room, and knocked on the next door. Similar to Sans, Stretch peeked his head out of the room after a few seconds. Unlike Sans, he opened the door fully once he saw that it was you.

“Morning!” You greeted. “I’m here for your dirty clothes!” For emphasis, you shifted the large pile that was already in your arms. 

He chuckled and dropped clothes onto the pile. Before you could walk away, you caught that the very obvious orange sweater was still on him.

You frowned, “I need that, too.” You gestured to it.

He smirked, “if you wanted to get me outta my clothes, all you had to do was ask.”

You sputtered slightly as he pulled it over his head, revealing a very bare rib cage. You couldn’t help but stare in curiosity for a second. It was very similar to a human rib cage, but there were a few differences that you could spot. They seemed thicker than regular bones. He added the sweater to your pile as you averted your eyes with a red tinting on your cheeks. 

“Thanks,” you mumbled out before rushing off to the other side of the floor. You could hear Stretch chuckle at your reaction as you made your getaway. 

You knocked on the last door that you needed. After a second, the door opened, and clothes were thrown out before the door was slammed shut. You blinked in confusion.

“Uh. Thanks, Edge!” You called through the door, but there was no response. You grew a bit concerned. “Are you alright?”

There was a few seconds of silence as you waited for him to answer. “I’M FINE. GO AWAY.” 

You tilted your head, “Okay, if you’re sure. I’ll be right back with your clothes.”

“YOU HAD BETTER BE! THIS POWDERPUFF VERSION OF ME HAS THE WORST SENSE OF STYLE!” He sounded a bit off.

Your eyes widened in realization, “Edge, are you… uncomfortable in Papyrus’s clothes?”

“WHY THE HELL WOULD ANYONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WEAR SHORTS  _ THIS  _ SHORT?!” He responded through the door.

You couldn’t help but laugh at his predicament, “Geez, Edge. You’ll be fine. You only have to wear them for a few hours.” You shifted the clothes in your arms, “Besides, I’m sure you pull them off stunningly.” When he didn’t reply, you made your way down to the laundry room.

You wasted no time in tossing the pile of clothes into the machine, and turning it on. You made your way back to the living room and plopped back onto the couch with your book while you waited. It wasn’t long at all before a buzzing sound echoed through to the living room, alerting you that they were finished being washed. You switched them over, this time with your book in hand, and pulled yourself on top of the wash machine while you waited for the drier.

Once that was done, you pulled out the warm clothes and tossed them in a nearby basket to take upstairs. You hesitated as your eyes found the orange of Stretch’s sweater.

You stared at it for a few seconds, biting your lip in thought. A mischievous glint found its way to your eyes before you quickly pulled it out of the basket and pulled it over your head. It was massive on you, just as you has assumed it would be. You grinned and flopped the sleeves around like a complete goober before pulling the second jacket out of the basket and layering it on top of the first. 

Red’s jacket was significantly heavier, and the fluff of its hood tickled the sides of your face. It was shorter than Stretch’s, but you still felt like you were swimming in fabric while wearing it. 

The final jacket was held up as you contemplated how to wear it. You couldn’t put it on top of the other two. Red’s was too bulky, and you were sure that you would get much too hot with two jackets and a sweater layered over you like that. You settled for tiring it around your waist.

You scooped up the basket and dropped it in the living room on your way upstairs. You peeked down the hall, and when you didn’t see anyone, you rushed up to your room as quietly as you could. You made it without being spotted.

Before you shut the door behind you, you called back into the house, “Clean clothes are down in the living room!” Before shutting the door behind you. 

You heard movement as the skeletons left their rooms to get clothes. You sat back on your bed, a grin on your face as you waited. You didn’t have to wait long at all before there was a knock at your door. 

Red didn’t bother waiting for you to answer as he swung the door open, “where’s my-“ he paused once he saw you sitting on the bed in layers of clothes. He smirked, “what the hell are you doin’, doll?”

You stood and sauntered past him, “What’s it look like I’m doing? Going downstairs, obviously.”

“okay, but why are you wearing our clothes?”

You began making your way downstairs, looking back at him only to spare him a wink, “I have no idea what you’re talking about. As the Sweater Queen, this is my usual ensemble.”

There was a moment of silence before a confused, “what?” Came from the top of the attic stairs. A hand grabbed at your wrist as you reached the hall. You turned to see Red, “just gimme back my jacket.”

You blinked at him in mock confusion before a sly grin split across your face. He grinned at you in turn, finally catching on to what you were doing. “alright. then i guess i’ll have to take it by force.” You grinned, happy he was playing along with you.

He made a grab for you, and you ducked under his arms. You giggled as you ran down the hall and turned into the nearest open door. You vaulted over the bed and dove behind Papyrus.

He gave you a confused look, “UM?”

You ignored his confusion and peeked over the bed to see Red in the doorway. He pointed at you, “you can’t hide behind him. give it back.” His tone was serious, but his expression was significantly less so.

“Sir Papyrus! There has been a betrayal! Grandmaster Red is attempting to steal the royal garments!” You gestured to Red wildly with false concern laced in your voice.

“your rule is built on lies!” Red claimed. You giggled at that before shaking your head and trying hard to fight your grin.

Papyrus struck a heroic pose, “FRET NOT, YOUR MAJESTY! I SHALL PROTECT YOU FROM THIS THREAT!” He scooped you into his arms, and you began laughing again as he rushed out of his bedroom, and right past Red. He rushed down the stairs, and nearly bowled over Blue on his way down.

“Blue!” You called to him and pointed back to Red, who was definitely cheating and teleporting around the house. He looked between you confusion. “As a knight, it is your sworn duty to protect the royal house!” You called to him. 

His face scrunched slightly before he gave you a nod, “OF COURSE!” Blue turned to Red, “YOU WILL COME NO CLOSER!”

Red shrugged, “if you say so.” Then he disappeared into another shortcut.

“That’s cheating!” You called into the house.

“all’s fair in love and war,  _ your majesty.” _ His voice came from behind you, and you jumped out of Papyrus’ hold to dash into the living room.

Both Sans and Stretch were still in there talking between themselves. They watched as you turned to face the doorway an called out to Red, “Not if you’re  _ cheating _ !”

“what are you doing?” Sans asked, looking you over.

“Ah!” You feigned relief as you walked up to him. “Sans! My most trusted advisor! There has been a horrible turn of events! A betrayal!” You paused for dramatic effect before continuing, “There is only so much Sir Papyrus and Sir Blue can do to keep the royal garments safe, so what should I do, royal advisor?”

He shrugged with a lazy smile, “give them back?”

You gasped in mock offense, “Are you suggesting what I think you are?! How dare you ask me to give up my title as Sweater Queen!”

There was a deep laugh behind you, and you spun around to face Red. He leaned down so that he was right in your face. “this is an uprising, doll.”

You fell to your knees, “How could you?! I trusted you!” You were grinning.

“STOP THERE, THIEF!” Your attention was pulled to Papyrus and Blue as they ran in.

They were followed by another figure, now comfortably in his own clothes. “WHAT ARE YOU IMBECILES ON ABOUT NOW?” Edge asked, as though the noise you had been making was disturbing him.

“They’re trying to usurp my throne.” You explained in a lackluster way, while pointing back to Sans, Red, and Stretch. 

He raised a brow. “WILL THEY BE BEHEADED FOR THEIR CRIMES?” He asked, much to your surprise.

You looked back at the trio in thought, “Uhh… I don’t know?” You turned back to Edge with a smirk, “I believe it’s your job to decide, Chancellor Edge.” When a menacing grin split across his face, you amended in a small voice, “But don’t actually kill anyone, please.” You didn’t actually think he would, but you figured you would put the warning out there. 

He waved you off and moved to tower over his brother, and by extension, you. Red took a step back, but a playful challenge remained in his eyes. While you were distracted with the two of them, you didn’t notice that someone else had snuck up on you. A pair of arms wrapped around you before you were teleported somewhere else.

As soon as you got your bearings and found that you were back in your room, you turned around to see Stretch smirking smugly at you.

“you are weird.” He told you before attempting to shove his hands in his pockets out of habit, only to uncomfortably drop them at his sides.

You smiled, “So I’ve been told.” You began pulling the layers off of you, and handed Stretch his sweater after pulling it over your head.

“i thought you would never give up the ‘royal garments’.” He questioned you playfully.

You shrugged, “What can I say? Being queen was hard. I guess I just couldn’t handle the responsibility.” You made our way to the door, “Now if you will excuse me, I have to go give Sans and Red back their jackets.” You hesitated and added, “and make sure that no one was  _ actually  _ beheaded.” 

He chuckled as you began downstairs, clothes in hand. You made your way to the living room, only to see that Papyrus had dramatically fallen to his knees, with Blue behind him, giving him pats on the back in consolation. Sans had moved to the couch, where he had collapsed in front of the laundry basket that was still full of his clothes. 

You threw his jacket at him, and it landed squarely on his head. He pulled it off and gave you a lazy grin. You rolled your eyes and looked around. You spotted Edge and Red on the opposite side of the room. 

“Alright Grandmaster Red,” you called out cheekily, “Come get your jacket before I decide to keep it.”

He made his way over to you and took it from your outstretched hand, wasting no time in draping it back over his shoulders. He grumbled a little before finding a spot on the couch next to his counterpart. Papyrus and Blue had moved as well, and were happily chatting a bit further away from the couch. Stretch had found a spot leaning in the doorway to the foyer, and Edge had sat on the loveseat to watch everyone else in disinterest. 

You glanced around at your housemates with a soft smile. You had never felt more at home in your life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go. Here is an extra long chapter about pretty much nothing. But hey, it was fun to write!! Hope you guys like reading it!!! 
> 
> I’ll get back to your regularly scheduled plot soon enough, I promise!!! (Also, consider: I just really needed to throw more fluffy bonding chapters in here. They are very important to me.)
> 
> Thank you all for sticking around this long, and if you’re relatively new to the story, thank you for sticking with it after the first few train wreck chapters!!!! I really appriciate all of you and the support you give this story!!! You guys are all so sweet!!


	40. The Problem With Traveling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ... is figuring out how to fit everyone in one car.

“ARE WE GOING TO THE MALL? I’VE ALWAYS WANTED RO GO TO A HUMAN MALL!” Blue had been circling you all morning, asking questions about where your group was going. 

“I think the mall would probably be the best place to go if we’re looking for clothes, don’t you?” You asked, just finishing doing the dishes from breakfast before you left.

He seemed to ponder that for a second, “I THINK SO? I’VE NEVER BEEN.”

You chuckled. “Well I suppose we’ll just have to change that, won’t we?” You dried your hands and began towards the foyer, Blue hot on your heels. There were a few other skeletons waiting for you.

“Alright. Everyone ready? The city’s a bit of a walk, so it might be better if we drive.

Papyrus lit up at the news, “WE ARE DRIVING?” 

You glanced around before sheepishly rubbing the back of your neck, “I mean, that would be the smartest way to do it. But, I can’t exactly fit seven people in one car.”

“I CAN TRY TO DRIVE!” He quickly offered.

“Wow, Paps. That is super illegal. And also, you don’t know how.” You pointed out.

“i don’t see why we can’t just take a shortcut.” Red interjected.

“WE CAN’T DO THAT!” Blue argued with him. “SHORTCUTS ARE LAZY AND BORING!”

“alright, bro, then how do you want us to get there?” Stretch asked, standing up from where he had been sitting on the stairs. 

Blue thought for a few seconds, but you could tell he kept coming up blank.

“Okay, how about we…” you hummed in thought. “Maybe we could-“

“you can take them, and i can take a shortcut with whoever else.” You turned to face Sans. 

“Didn’t you tell me that you have to have been somewhere before for the shortcuts to work?”

“i did. we’re going to city hall first, right? I’ve been there before.” He shrugged, “then we can figure it out from there.”

“Okay. That still leaves one extra person. I can only take four with me.” 

“if it means we can get outta here, i’ll sit out the car ride.” Red crossed his arms, but he didn’t look to upset at the thought of avoiding being stuck in a car with the people he was already stuck in a house with. 

You nodded, “Alright. That works.” You began making your way to the garage, “Everyone that’s going with me better pile in!” You called out, and a few skeletons rushed around you. You chuckled as the two tallest began debating about which car to take.

“THAT ONE IS THE OBVIOUS CHOICE.” Edge gestured to the black Lamborghini that you don’t think you had ever touched since you had inherited it. 

“YOU ARE SORELY MISTAKEN, MY FRIEND! BUT I SUPPOSE IF THIS IS THE CAR THAT YOU REALLY WANT TO TAKE, THEN WE CAN DRIVE THIS ONE!” Papyrus nodded to himself, and you couldn’t help but smile. What a cool guy.

Without any more argument, Edge got in the front seat before anyone else could. You saw Papyrus frown for a second before his face lit up once more and he jumped in the back. You glanced over at Blue and Stretch. Blue gave a small glance to your bike before getting in the back as well. You could already hear Papyrus and Blue loudly conversing.

You looked expectantly at Stretch, “Seems like this is gonna be quite the adventure, eh?”

He chuckled and nodded at you, “you can say that again.” And with that, the two of you got in as well. You started the car and pulled out of your garage, headed towards the city. 

There were conversations going on behind you, but Edge hadn’t said anything to you, instead choosing to stare out the window or at the car’s center console. You glanced over at him.

“So, shotgun. I usually let whoever’s in that seat pick the music. Do you care what kind?” You gave him a smile. 

He scoffed, “WHY WOULD I CARE? I KNOW LITTLE ABOUT SURFACE MUSIC.” That admittedly made you feel a bit sad. You frowned and hummed in thought.

Then a small smile found its way to your face as you glanced over at him once more, “Y’know, you kinda strike me as a classic rock kinda guy.” You tapped a finger in the steering wheel, “Or maybe metal, but I don’t know. Your brother seems like he’d be more into metal than you would be. Or maybe… maybe grunge. Both of you seem to be pretty punk rock-y.”

“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?” He finally asked you, giving you a look. 

“Music, obviously.” You began fiddling with buttons, “I think I’ll just go with classic rock, because who doesn’t like classic rock?” You gave him a cheeky grin as he began to speak. “Don’t answer that, it was rhetorical. Plus, once you’ve heard it, you’ll probably agree. Probably.” You nodded to yourself when you got your phone connected to the radio.

“you’re rambling a whole lot up there, honey.” Stretch leaned forward a bit.

“Yes,” you agreed, “I am.” You continued your music analysis with him, as he had butted into the conversation, “I think you’d be more of an acoustic kind of person.”

He nodded, “you aren’t wrong. i used to play guitar when i had free time back home.”

You glanced back at him, “Wait, really?” When he nodded, you grinned at him. “That’s so cool! I’ve never been very good at any instruments.”

“THAT’S NOT TRUE! YOU HAVE A LOVELY VOICE!” Papyrus complemented from behind you.

You chuckled and went back to putting on music, “Thanks Paps, but that’s not really the same thing as an instrument.”

Finally, you got to found the songs you had been looking for and glanced over to Edge. You handed him your phone, “Here. Pick a song.”

He gave you and odd look, and just stared at you for a second. When you didn’t pull your eyes from the road, he looked down and began scrolling through the playlist.

He tapped something without really paying much attention to it, and you grinned.

“Nice choice.” If you had to wager a guess, he had just picked a random song, even though you had immediately recognized the intro to the song. You tapped your fingers along to the familiar beat, and gently bobbed your head to the guitars. 

The car grew a bit more quiet as the first few lines of the song came on, and you hummed the quietly to yourself. You glanced curiously at the monsters in the car, who all seemed to be watching you in anticipation. You chuckled and shrugged before going all out on the song just as the first verse hit.

_ “It's always tease, tease, tease _ __  
_ You're happy when I'm on my knees _ __  
_ One day it's fine and next it's black _ __  
_ So if you want me off your back _ __  
_ Well, come on and let me know _ _  
_ __ Should I stay or should I go?”

You grinned as the next section of instrumental played, glancing in your mirror to see that the skeletons in your back seat were having fun with the song as well. From the corner of your eye, you knew you saw Edge tapping his foot.

You grinned as the next part of the song continued, making a point to look directly at Edge. 

“ _ Should I stay or should I go now? _ __  
_ Should I stay or should I go now? _ __  
_ If I go, there will be trouble _ __  
_ And if I stay it will be double _ _  
_ __ So come on and let me know...”

You made sure to make goofy, over the top motions as you sang loudly at him. When a light red tinted his cheeks and he looked away from you, you snickered and continued with the rest of the song. 

The song ended just as you were getting closer to City Hall. You turned down the music and glanced back at your passengers through the mirror. 

“You guys ready?” You asked, pulling into a parking spot in front of the stereotypical courthouse-looking building. 

“DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE’LL BE DOING?” Papyrus asked you.

“No. I can’t say that I do. We don’t really…” you trailed off, looking for the right words, “This isn’t exactly a  _ normal  _ circumstance.” You bit at your lip in thought, “Come to think of it, I don’t even know if they’ll let me in with you guys.”

“you’ll be fine.” Stretch patted your shoulder before doors were swung open, and everybody piled out of the car. 

Nodding, you locked the car after everything was closed, “Yeah. You’re probably right. Even if I can’t go in with you guys, though, I’m sure everything will work out.”

“i dunno, doll,” you jumped slightly at the sudden sound of Red’s voice, “everything’s better with you.”

You looked back at him with a raised brow, “Laying it on a bit thick today, are we?” 

He seemed a bit sheepish about being challenged, but shrugged nonetheless, “what can i say? it’s a force of habit, and you are the one bad habit i can’t seem to shake.” He flirted with you before giving you a wink.

“Bad habit? So you think long exposure to me may be detrimental to your health?” You smirked at him, “Noted. I’ll try to stay further away.”

He stumbled slightly, and you watched as all of his cocky confidence fell into a nervous blush, “wait, that’s not what i-“

He was interrupted by a pat on his back, “ouch. that was rough.” Stretch seemed more amused that sympathetic towards the situation despite his words. Red sunk into his jacket and grumbled to himself. 

You snickered before glancing around to make sure that your whole group was there. “Alright, let’s not spend too long out on the sidewalk. We need to get this over with.”

It seemed that most, if not all, of the skeletons were in agreement with you. With a nod, all of you made your way to the doors of city hall. Once everyone had filed in, you took note of the inside of the building.

Apart from the receptionist, the room you were in was empty. There were a few unoccupied benches along one of the white stone walls, most likely for days that it was more crowded. You weren’t too sure how often that actually happened, if you were going to be completely honest. Your group was there by appointment, so you figured the the benches would remain unused for the time being. 

You walked up to the receptionist, who was watching your group carefully. “Hello. We are here for an appointment?” She stared at you for a second, and you hurriedly gave her your name, as well.

She looked around you. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see both Papyrus and Blue give her a wave. She looked back at you, “All of you?”

“Well, technically  _ I  _ don’t have an appointment, but I’m here with them.” You gestured back to your group.

“Right. Well, do they all have the appropriate paperwork with them?” She asked, beginning to type something into her computer.

You nodded, “Yup. I think we have it all.” 

She began reading something on her screen, and then glanced up at you, “And you are the head of household, correct?” Well, technically you did own the house. Did that make you hard of household? You weren’t sure, but maybe it would be simpler if you told her yes. You glanced back at Sans, who gave you a shrug.

“Er, yeah. Yup. Yes,” you fumbled on your words. Nice. Real eloquent. You really nailed that. You gave her an awkward smile as she looked back down at her screen and began typing something else. 

“Alright. You are all going to go down the hall to the final door on your left.” She didn’t look up from her screen as she explained it. 

“Final door on the left,” you repeated. “Okay. Thank you!” She hummed in acknowledgement.

You looked back at the skeletons and gave them a small smile. Papyrus and Blue were the first to begin down the hall, followed closely by their respective brothers. You let the group go ahead of you, and then trailed down the hall behind them.

As soon as the door was swung open, everyone attempted to peer into the doorway at the same time. You had to balance yourself by grabbing the doorframe in order to peek around the skeletons.

There was a man sitting at a large desk. He had stacks of paperwork littered all around in what seemed to be an organized chaos. His tired eyes scanned over your group until they landed on you, though you were sure that you were barely able to bee seen from behind the group, who were effectively taking up the entire doorway.

The man, who you had recognized to be the mayor himself from the one time you had seen him, glanced once more at your companions before gesturing all of you in.

“I am afraid that I will not have enough seats for all of you. You are a very large group.” His voice was kind, though you could recall the more authoritative tone he had used during the press conference. At this point, that seemed like it had been a forever ago. Now, though, he just seemed tired. 

“It’s okay,” you claimed, breaking the bit of silence that had fallen. You gently urged the boys to enter the room instead of staring dumbly from the doorway. Without much more hesitation, they piled in to the room. 

You followed after they had all gathered around the desk, and stood off to the side, just in case you were needed, though you didn’t really think you would be. 

You were proved wrong, though, when the Mayor turned to face you almost immediately. “You are miss (Y/N), correct?”

You nodded, “Yeah. That’s me. Why?” 

“Well,” he began, shuffling through some papers in front of him, “It has come to my awareness that you have been, and are currently, housing all of them, is this right?” He gave each skeleton a glance as he spoke.

You raised a brow, “Yes. Thay have been staying in my house, and are free to continue to do so. I have more than enough room.”

He nodded, “I didn’t think that it would be a concern, really. I just need you to confirm the place of residency,” he pushed a few papers towards you, and you glanced down at them. “As the head of household and owner of the house, I will need your signature, just so that we have a proof of residency. We have one from when they were temporarily assigned to live with you, but we will need a new one, as they have chosen to stay permanently.”

You nodded and quickly scanned over the paper before scrawling your name at the bottom. “Alright, then. Is this all you needed from me?”

He nodded an affirmative. “From you, yes. That should be all.” He then turned to address the skeletons, “From the six of you, however, I will need a bit more.” 

And with that, they began talking and going through paperwork, as you slowly began spacing out. Another boring half hour went by before you were pulled back into reality at a boisterous laugh. You watched as the mayor handed over a stack of freshly printed plastic cards with a large grin on his face. Sans was the one to take them from him, and the mayor smiled at the skeleton.

He reached a hand across the desk, “It has been a pleasure.” 

Sans reached out to the his hand, and you winced as the sound of a whoopie cushion sounded through the room. The mayor looked a bit stunned, glancing between Sans’ shit-eating grin, and his hand.

“SANS!” Papyrus’s outraged tone was the first to shatter the silence, followed by the Stretch’s laughter and Red’s half-covered chuckles.

You buried your face in your hands and groaned. “I seriously can’t take you guys anywhere, can I?”

“WELCOME TO OUR WORLD.” Edge added, standing off to the side with his arms crossed.

The mayor chuckled, “I believe that everything is in order. That was all I needed from you.”

You gave him a nod, “Thank you for all of your help.” You stumbled a bit before clarifying, “With, uh, everything.” You realized that that didn’t really explain much of anything. 

He good-naturedly shook his head at you before gesturing to the door, “Thank you all for coming in today. Have a good rest of your afternoon.”

“YOU TOO, MISTER MAYOR!” Papyrus promptly scooped up his brother and held him as if he were a football tucked under his arm. 

The mayor gave him a nod, and waved you out once more. One by one, you all began filtering back out of the office, and then the building, until you all had made your way back to the car.

“ _ NOW  _ CAN WE GO TO THE MALL?” Blue asked, already pulling at the car door. 

“slow down there, blue.” Sans told him before handing him one of the cards. “we’re all going to need one of these.”

You leaned over Sans’ shoulder as he began handing them out. It seemed like, while they didn’t have any pictures, it was personalized to each one of them. You raised a brow at Sans’ card as he pocketed it.

“Is that really your full name?”

“yup.” He gave you a knowing grin.

“Your name is Comic Sans Serif Aster? You have four names… and they’re all typefaces.” From the glimpses you had gotten of the other IDs, you knew that the other’s names were very similar. “I don’t mean to sound rude, but is that a skeleton thing, or…?”

“I DON’T BELIEVE THAT THERE WERE ANY OTHER SKELETONS IN THE UNDERGROUND!” Papyrus pointed out, “OR AT LEAST, NONE THAT I KNEW OF!” 

You thought you saw Sans wince from the corner of your eye, but when you looked, he seemed normal. You waited for him to comment on what Papyrus had said, but he didn’t. 

You hummed in thought and decided that shifting the subject away from other skeletons might be a good idea. “So, did you four really put down the garbage nicknames I gave you as your  _ actual  _ names?”

“HEY! THAT’S NOT VERY NICE! I THINK YOU ARE VERY GOOD AT NICKNAMES!” Blue scolded your self-depreciation.

“nah, she’s right. her naming skills are shit.” Red grinned at you. “we just used the ones ya gave us cause we were already using ‘em.”

“I guess so.” You shrugged and took a moment to regret the loss of some well thought out names. You shook your head after a second, “Anyways, the mall? How are we all planning on getting there?”

There was a moment of silence as the group looked between each other, no doubt trying to puzzle a way to get there with only one car between the seven of you.

After a moment, you sighed, “Alright, look. The mall’s really not that far from here, so I’m going to suggest something that could get me in a bit of trouble.” You unlocked the car. “Pile in.”

“what?” Stretch asked, but began getting in the car anyways.

“Just, y’know, get in. I trust my driving skills enough. You’ll be fine to share some seats.” While some half of them got in without much hesitation, Stretch and the Edgy brothers thought it over for a few seconds. 

By the time you sat yourself in the driver seat, though, everyone was in the car. This time around, Papyrus sat with you up front, most likely only because he had gotten there first. That left everyone else piled in the back seat in an uncomfortable, scrunched up mess. Well, all except for Blue, who had decided that it would be more comfortable to sit on his brother’s lap than beside him. That was probably a good call. 

Edge seemed particularly pouty about being shoved in the sardine tin that was your back seat. You had to fight back a chuckle as he stared broodingly out the window that he was pressed up against. 

“We ready to go?” You asked before starting the car.

“YES, YES. JUST HURRY UP.” Edge snapped, much to your amusement. 

“Alrighty, then. Off we go!” You grinned and began towards the mall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow... there was not a lot that happened in this chapter... like, at all. But, I had to cut it off somewhere, because if I would have also included the inevitable shopping chapter as a part of this one, it would have been much, much too long. Oh well. 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed it, anyways!!!!
> 
> The song in this chapter is: Should I Stay or Should I Go by the Clash. (Listen, I know it’s not *exactly* classic rock per say.... but... it’s a good song. Shhh.)


	41. Shop Suey!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have a shopping day with the boys... but things don’t exactly turn out the way you wanted them to.

It wasn’t even a full second after you put the car in park that nearly all of the doors were flung open. Everyone scrambled out of the car, and you chose to believe that it was because they were excited, and not because they no longer wanted to be crammed into the back seat. At least you knew that the drive home wouldn’t be nearly as bad. You were sure at least three of the skeletons would forgo driving back in favor of ‘shortcuting’ back to the house. 

“HURRY UP! WE DON’T HAVE ALL DAY!” Edge knocked on your window with a certain gentleness that you hadn’t really expected from him. 

“Actually, we do. Well, we have until the mall closes, but that's not until eleven.” You stepped out of your car, making sure to lock it behind you. You turned to the group with a smile, “So, where are we going first?”

You watched with amusement as Blue, Papyrus, and Edge all shifted on their feet, antsy to get going. Blue had to catch himself from dashing away before he could reply. 

“I think,” you continued, “that we should get the clothes shopping out of the way, and then maybe we could grab some lunch?”

“I READ ONLINE THAT THERE WAS A COMIC BOOK STORE IN THIS MALL!” Papyrus happily informed you, though you had already known about it. “CAN WE GO THERE?”

“Of course we can. We can go into whatever stores you guys want.”

You weren’t able to make any more plans before Blue grabbed you by the arm, “WELL, WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR, THEN?” He began pulling you towards the main entrance to the mall. You chuckled and did your best to keep up with him. Papyrus quickly appeared at your other side as the monsters looked up at the building. 

You raised a brow at them and stepped up to the automatic door. “You guys coming, or what?” 

You got a few smiles in return before all of your housemates rushed into the building. You watched in amusement as their eyes scanned over all of the doors to various shops. You could tell that they had no idea where to start, so you moved in front of them once more. 

“Clothes stores are pretty much everywhere, but the larger ones are going to be a at the ends of the mall.” You explained while waiting for them to figure out where they wanted to go. “Any Idea what kind of clothing stores you guys are looking for?”

You had a hard time picking out what they were saying when they all began talking to you at once. You let out a confused stutter before laughing. “Sounds like you guys all have different plans, huh? Maybe… maybe it’d be best if we split up, and then met at the food court for lunch?” You, admittedly, had your own shopping that you wanted to do while you were at the mall, and you weren’t sure that they would want to follow you around to replace your hand soap.

“DIVIDE AND CONQUER! THAT IS A WONDERFUL IDEA!” Papyrus agreed with you before turning to the others, “WELL, THEN! WE SHOULD GET INTO GROUPS!” You snorted at his enthusiasm as he debated who he wanted to go with him.

“Well, I’ll let you guys figure it out. There are maps all over the place,” you gestured to one of them. With a bit of hesitance, you rested your hand on your bag, “Do… do you guys need money or anything?”

“uh, sweetheart… you don’t need to do that.” Sans gave you a small smile, “not sure how ya didn’t know this, but we used actual gold as currency back in the underground. getting it transferred to actual money was one of the first things we did.”

You blinked in surprise, “Oh.”

“INDEED! WE ARE, AS I HAVE HEARD IT BEEN CALLED, ‘LOADED’,” Papyrus gave you a pat on the head, “YOUR OFFER WAS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED, THOUGH!”

“Oh. Okay, then.” You weren’t sure what else you could say about that. You would have time to ponder the ramifications of that later. “I’m, uh. Not really going to be buying any clothes, so I might just go off on my own for a bit.”

“ARE YOU SURE YOU DON’T WANT ANY OF US TO GO WITH YOU?” Blue asked, tilting his head.

“I’m sure. I’ve just gotta grab a few things for the house. I’m sure it won’t take me too long, so I’ll catch up with you guys as soon as I’m done, okay?” 

“WELL, OKAY. IF YOU’RE SURE.” He gave you a nod.

You eyed the group before you turned to split away from them, “Oh, and please don’t get into any trouble.” You gave Red and Edge especially pointed looks.

“thanks for the vote a confidence, doll.” Red smirked at you in a way that made you slightly nervous. You had a feeling that telling him that was inviting him to cause… something.

“I’m serious, Red. Please behave yourself.” 

He gave you a wink, “alright. just for you.” You narrowed your eyes at him, and just as he began to get visibly nervous under your gaze, you nodded.

“Thank you. I’ll hold you to that.” You gave him a smile before turning to Edge. “Keep an eye on him, yeah? And, uh, be nice? Please?”

“I ASSURE YOU THAT I WILL NOT CAUSE ANY ‘TROUBLE’.” Something about the way he had said that gave you doubts. But, you supposed that if any of them were to get kicked out of the mall, you would have to deal with it then.

You sighed and relented, finally turning away from them and wandering off into the mall. Once you had gotten a few stores away, you realized that it would probably be easy to keep an eye on them yourself. You certainly were having no trouble hearing them, that was for sure. You chuckled at that observation as you wandered towards the store that you needed to be in. 

It hadn’t taken you long at all to get in and get what you needed. With a bag slung over your arm, you slowly began making your way back towards the food court. It would be a while before the rest would show up there, but that was okay. You could do some window shopping on the way there. 

You made your way through the mall, contemplating buy a few clothes yourself when they caught your eye, but deciding in the end that you didn’t really need them. It wasn’t until you began passing all of the specialty stores that you actually stopped when you saw something in the window. 

You thought back to something that Stretch had told you earlier that morning, when you were in the car. You bit at your bottom lip in thought before entering the store. There was an older man sitting behind the counter. He didn’t notice you enter, but you hadn’t expected him to as he was tuning a guitar.

“Excuse me, sir?” You asked.

He looked up from what he was doing and gave you a smile, “Ah! I’m sorry! I did not see you there. How can I help you today?” He had an accent that you couldn’t quite place.

“I was actually wondering about one of the guitars that is on display?” You gestured back to a wall of guitars, a majority of which had designs painted onto them.

“I see,” he set down the instrument he had been working on and walked over to the wall. “Which one has caught your eye?”

You pointed to the one that you had stopped for. It was a light brown acoustic that had the shape of honeycomb meticulously etched into it, with a single honey bee painted underneath the strings. 

The man smiled and took it off of the stand it was on. “That is a very lovely choice, Miss.” He handed it to you, and you gently took it from him as he continued talking, “As with all of the decorated instruments in my store, it was hand decorated by my daughter. The cases for them were, as well.”

“Oh, wow. She’s really talented,” you complemented while looking closer at the designs on it. The man beamed at you.

“Isn’t she? I am very proud of her.” You could tell. “She’s been making a lot of them recently. Most of the profit from these instruments in particular go to funding her college.”

Well, if you weren’t going to buy it before, he had definitely convinced you now. You nodded at him and handed the guitar back. 

“Do you happen to have a box I can carry it out in? It’s a gift for someone, and I don’t want him to know about it just yet.” You made your way over to the counter and pulled your wallet out of your bag. 

The man followed behind you and gave you a nod, “Of course! I can go get you one when I am grabbing the case from the back.”

You thanked him as he took everything to the back. He came back in a few minutes with a case that matched the guitar, complete with a yellow-orange velvet on the inside, where he set the guitar before latching it shut. He put both of them into a large white box, which in turn went into a large bag.

You paid for it, and gave the man a large grin, “Thank you so much!” 

“Thank you! I hope to see you again sometime, eh?” 

“Of course, sir!” You gave him a wave before leaving the store. 

With an extra bag that you carried around much more carefully than the last, you began heading towards the food court once more. You didn’t make it very far before you heard a familiar voice. You glanced across the way, and a smirk formed on your face. You were very,  _ very  _ unsurprised by this turn of events. You may as well check on the edgier pair while you were right next to them. 

You poked your head into the store, and didn’t have to look very long before you spotted Red and Edge. You amusedly took note of the cashier that was openly gawking at the two in awe.

You grinned and moved over to the skeletons, “You enjoying your Hot Topic experience?” You joked with them.

Red didn’t say anything, but he gave you a cheeky grin while holding up a black shirt with a skull on it that read, ‘Let’s Bone’ in bold white letters. You snorted and attempted to hold back laughter, but you failed horribly.

“I’M GLAD MY BROTHER’S TERRIBLE SENSE OF HUMOR AMUSES  _ SOMEONE _ .” Edge crossed his arms, but continued scanning over the shelf he had been looking at before. It looked like it had many pairs of black jeans. 

“what’re you talkin’ about, boss? I’ve always been  _ humerus _ .” Red looked very pleased with himself.

You watched as Edge slowly looked over at his brother with a blank look. “That Is The Biggest  _ Fibula  _ I Have Ever Heard.”

You gave Edge a surprised look before you nearly doubled over in laughter. Between your wheezes and giggles, you barely managed to choke out, “I cannot believe you two!”

When you finally managed to rein in your laughter, you grinned at them. Red was grinning at you, though a faint red glow on his cheekbones didn’t go unnoticed by you. Edge had taken to giving you a curious look. 

You let out one final chuckle, “I should probably let you guys gat back to your shopping, huh?” You took a step towards the door, “I noticed you from across the way, and figured I’d just check up on you guys. But, I can see that you’re good, so I’ll just-“ you pointed back towards the rest of the mall, “See you guys later, yeah?”

Edge hummed to himself and turned back to the shelf. You took that as a yes. 

“see ya, doll.” Red gave you a wink before turning back to what he had been doing as well. 

You nodded and left, giving a wave to the cashier as you went. They were giving you the same wide-eyed stare that they had been looking at the Red and Edge with. You shot them a finger gun before turning back to the rest of the mall.

It actually wasn’t very long before you found the second pair of monsters. Or, rather, they found you.

Blue had noticed you, and called you over to him and his brother, who were stopped at a sunglasses kiosk. He grinned at you as you walked up.

“LOOK AT ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT SUNGLASSES!” He began pointing to a few of them. “WHICH ONES DO YOU THINK WOULD LOOK THE MOST MAGNIFICENT?” He glanced between a few of them in thought.

You looked between him and the different options a few times before pointing out a row of glasses. “I think any of those ones would probably look pretty good. It’s up to you, though.”

He seemed to contemplate your input very seriously.

You tilted your head. “If you don’t mind my asking, how exactly do you guys wear glasses?”

“the simple answer is tape.” You turned to look at Stretch, only to stop once you actually saw him.

“You guys are the biggest nerds I have ever met in my entire life.” You smirked at him.

“what’re you talking about? i’ve never met you before.” He joked, adjusting the Groucho glasses that he was wearing.

“Aw, geez. Sorry, sir. I must have confused you with a friend of mine.”

“no prob. happens all the time.” He glanced over at the kiosk before pulling a pair of sunglasses off and handing them to you, “on a completely unrelated topic, try these on.”

You raised a brow at him, but took the heart-shaped sunglasses with hot pink rims from him. You put them on and struck a pose, “Whaddya think?”

He chuckled, “they’re lovely.”

In a beat of momentary genius, you pulled your phone out and pulled Stretch over to you. He seemed a bit confused until you held up your phone, the screen mirroring the two of you. He shoved one hand in his pocket, and threw the other one behind you in a set of bunny ears. You dropped the glasses down the bridge of your nose and winked at the camera. The sound of a shutter played from the phone, and the two both of you chuckled and put your glasses back.

You glanced at the picture with a smile, and without much thought, you set it as Stretch’s contact photo. Said monster leaned over your shoulder to see the screen. 

“heh. you’re cute. send that to me?” He requested.

You stuttered a bit at being called cute, “Yeah, sure.” Maybe you should start taking pictures with all of them. It was a good way to look back. Plus, it’d make good proof of your admittedly far fetched story if you ever were to need it.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK?” Your attention was turned to Blue as he showcased the pair that he had settled on. 

“I think that they’re perfect.” You told him truthfully. His brother seemed to be in agreement as he gave Blue two thumbs up.

“GREAT! THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP, THEN!” Blue then picked up a couple of bags that you had failed to notice before. “WE STILL HAVE A BIT MORE TO DO BEFORE WE MEET UP WITH EVERYONE ELSE. DO YOU WANT TO COME WITH US?” Blue invited you along with him and his brother.

You glanced down at the largest bag in your hands, “No thanks, Blue. This is kinda heavy, so I think I’ll just go grab a table and hang out for a while.”

“OH! DO YOU WANT ME TO CARRY IT FOR YOU?” He asked joyfully.

“what is it, anyways?” Stretch peeked curiously into the bag, and you moved it out of his view.

“You’ll see,” you gave him a vague answer before turning to Blue, “No. I think you’ll have enough bags without mine weighing you down. Plus, this one’s kind of fragile.”

Blue hummed, but then quickly nodded, “IF YOU SAY SO! WE WILL SEE YOU LATER, THEN!” He grabbed a hold of his brother’s sleeve and took off. 

Stretch gave you a lazy wave as he allowed himself to be dragged. You chuckled and returned it before heading once more towards the food court.

You go there without any more stops, only to notice that you weren’t the first one there. Papyrus and Sans had gotten there before you, and were seemingly chatting with each other. You didn’t miss that most of the people in the food court seemed to be staying away, though they did still shoot them occasional glances and murmurs between themselves. You decided to ignore the onlookers, and confidently sauntered up to their table.

“OH, HELLO!” Papyrus was the first to greet you, interrupting whatever he had been telling his brother before.

You plopped down onto the chair next to him. “You guys are done already?”

“YES! WE DID NOT NEED TO DO MUCH SHOPPING! ME AND SANS ALREADY HAVE CLOTHES!” He grinned at you.

“in fact,” Sans added, “we didn’t need to do any shopping.” Yeah, you guess that would be true. They already have all of their stuff. The others needed to go shopping because they weren’t able to bring anything with them when they left. 

You raised a brow at them, “Then what have you guys been doing this whole time?”

“WINDOW SHOPPING, MOSTLY.” Papyrus shrugged, “DID YOU KNOW THAT THEY HAVE A PET STORE IN THIS MALL?”

You chuckled, “I did. Did you go in there?”

“nah. we didn’t want to come out with an animal without talkin’ to you first. not that we would have, but…” He trailed off, glancing at his brother. 

You tilted your head at Sans with a thoughtful hum, “Do you guys want a pet?” You hadn’t really considered it until that point.

Sans shrugged, “i don’t know. i don’t think that we want one right now.”

“MAYBE IN THE FUTURE, THOUGH! A PET SHOULD NOT BE AN IMPULSE DECISION!” Papyrus explained to you.

You fiddled with the handle of a bag in thought. You weren’t sure how good of an idea an animal would be at the moment. Your life was… unpredictable, to say the least. Unpredictable life styles were not very compatible with pets. If one of the boys really wanted one, you would have to talk to them about it, but there was a good chance you’d end up saying yes to them, anyways. 

“Yeah, I think you’re right, Pap.” You cleared your throat and turned to the brothers once more, “So do you guys know what you want to eat?” You watched as both of them scanned over all of the different shops. 

“well, i dunno what a cheesesteak is, but i’ll be damned if that doesn’t sound like it’s right up my alley.” You turned at the sound of Red’s voice. He was tailed by his brother, who had significantly more bags than the last time you had seen him. 

You grinned as they both sat at the table, “You're not wrong. It sounds just about as ‘up your alley’ as Hot Topic does.”

He huffed at you, “that cashier was crazy.”

“They seemed pretty in awe of you guys.” You pointed out smugly.

“WELL OF COURSE THEY WERE! WHO WOULDN’T BE AWED BY THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PA-“ He stopped and cleared his throat, “EDGE.”

You found yourself frowning a bit at that, “Boss, I know  _ we  _ call you that, but that’s just so we don’t get confused. Your name is still Papyrus. That never really changed. You can refer to yourself however you want.”

He stared at you for a few seconds before looking at the table, “YES, I KNOW THAT.”

Without a word, Red stood up from his seat and slinked over to the restaurants. You watched him go as a heavy quiet settled over the table. Was that the wrong thing to say? Suddenly, you were once again aware of the stares of the onlookers. Subconsciously, your fingers tapped nervously on the table. You hadn’t noticed that you were doing it, but apparently Papyrus had. 

He rested a hand on your shoulder, and when you looked up at him, he gave you a dazzling smile. You could only manage a half hearted smile in return. His grin fell into a look of concern.

“YOU WORRY AN AWFUL LOT, DON’T YOU?” He pointed out. 

You slumped down into your seat, “I guess? I’m sorry. I don’t mean to.”

“what are you apologizing for, sweetheart? you don’t gotta apologize, and you don’t have anything to worry about.” Sans rested his hand on yours to still your fingers.

Sure, there may have been a few things that you didn’t need to be concerned about, but the truth was that you  _ did  _ have a lot to worry about. How could you not worry about everything when you had all of these new responsibilities dropped on your shoulders like a ton of bricks? You just didn’t want anyone to get hurt. 

“Yeah.” You agreed with him, though you didn’t really mean it. “Yeah, you’re right.” He gave you a look that told you he knew you didn’t mean it. You looked down at the table in thought.

You were startled out of your thoughts when the chair across from you screeched across the floor. It was followed by the loud thud of multiple bags being tossed onto the table. You blinked up at the new arrivals.

A smile was plastered back onto your face, “You guys find everything you needed?”

“WE DID! THANK YOU FOR TAKING US TO THE MALL TODAY!” Blue grinned at you.

“it was real sweet of you, honey.” Stretch added. 

You chuckled, “Of course. It’s kinda my fault that you guys didn’t have any clothes, so it’s the least I could do.”

Red slammed a tray down on the table next to you, “it’s not your fault. stop sayin’ that shit.” You looked over to him in surprise. 

You decided that it would be best not to respond to that. It was a good day, and you needed to get out of that mindset, anyways. It wouldn’t do you any good. So, you took a deep breath, and a smile found its way onto your face. These were your friends, and they really cared about you. Maybe it was about time you started to follow their lead. 

You glanced around until you spotted the food you wanted to get. “I’m going over there,” you stood and pointed in that direction. “Be right back.”

You weren’t followed by any of them, and you managed to quickly order your food. He was trying to be subtle, but you didn’t miss the way the cashier kept glancing over your shoulder. You frowned at him, but didn’t say anything. 

Before you could be handed your food, a hand wrapped around your upper arm. “Are you okay miss?” You turned around at the voice to see an unfamiliar woman.

“Uh. Yes?” You weren’t sure what she was talking about.

“Do you need me to call someone,” she looked over to your table, “or do you just want me to help you get away?” Oh.

You gently pulled your arm out of her grasp, “No. I am fine.”

She seemed taken aback by your refusal. “But they-“

“They are my friends,” you told her pointedly. Your food was finally set in front of you, and you took it and turned to leave, no longer interested in the conversation. 

“No! You don’t understand. Those things are dangerous.” She moved in your way.

With a heavy sigh, you tried to sidestep her, but she continued to block you. At this point, you could tell that there were even more eyes on the two of you, including those of the skeletons.

“Look lady, I don’t need or want your help. I trust those  _ people  _ more than I trust a complete stranger. Now, please let me pass.”

She shook her head stubbornly, “You don’t know what you’re saying. I’m sure that they’ve… they’ve done something to you! You just need to get away from them to clear your head. Then I’m sure you’ll see reason.” She grabbed your arm once more.

“Are you suggesting that they brainwashed me?” You had to pull a lot harder to get your arm out of her grasp this time. You scowled and glanced around at the gathering crowd. You needed to defuse the situation, and you needed to do it quickly. So, you straightened your posture and assessed the woman. It was time for you to put your degree to work once more. 

“And do you believe that because of personal experience, or because of gossip, rumors, and misinformed blog posts?” Her face scrunched up in frustration, but before she could try to argue, you calmly continued. “It is increasingly unwise to base your opinion on things like that, especially when your opinion is on living, breathing,  _ intelligent  _ beings. You let your fear of the unknown, or your dislike for anything that is different cloud your judgment. Humans, as a whole, have a tendency to do that. And that is so  _ unfair. _ It’s unfair, and it’s wrong, and it’s immoral.”

You took a step closer to her, “If you were to try and talk to a monster, I guarantee that you would change your tune. They are kind, more so than most humans, really. But, I doubt that I will really be able to change your mind by giving you my professional opinion, and I know that I won’t change my mind, either.”

She seemed to be floundering at your unexpected speech. Good. You took another step, “Now, if you would kindly let me go on my way, I can have lunch with my friends, and we can go home where there isn’t a crowd to watch them as if they were a sideshow.”

She stared at you angrily before finally moving, “Whatever. You’re all just a bunch of freaks.” 

You saw the skeletons stand up tensely. You short them a look before they could do anything. You wanted them to stay over there. You didn’t want  _ them  _ to make a scene, because you knew it would get turned around on them, and would just make things worse. You could handle insults from a stranger. You had been through much, much worse.

“I’m sorry you feel that way,” you stepped around her and began heading back to the table without another word. You heard her huff and walk in the opposite direction.

They hadn’t been above ground for very long, so you understood that people were still getting used to monsters, but you really hoped that things would start looking up for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowzers! This is a long chapter! ... Oh well. Hope you guys liked it!!!! (even though I know it was a little all over the place... I was having a bit of trouble with this one...)


	42. The Answer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You give a gift, and get a visitor.

It had been a few seconds after you sat back at the table, and no one had spoken. You weren’t sure if that was because of what you had done, or because of the crowd of people that had gathered to watch you.

You broke the silence with a heavy sigh, “I think we should head home, yeah?”

“YOU SHOULDN’T LET ONE PERSON RUIN YOUR DAY. ESPECIALLY NOT ONE AS WRETCHED AS THAT ONE.” Edge was still scowling in the direction she had gone.

“It’s not her. I just-“ you tried really hard not to let your eyes wander to the onlookers. “I’m afraid that if we stay much longer, something worse will happen. I know you guys are more than capable of handling yourselves, but I really don’t want anything…” You trailed off, tapping your fingers on the table in thought. “Humans are horrible. If you give them any reason at all to dislike you, they will. Even if it’s an accident, or a misunderstanding, or…”

“if you really think we should go, we’ll listen to you.” Sans gave you a pat on the shoulder. 

Blue nodded,  “WE ALREADY HAVE ALL OF OUR SHOPPING DONE, AFTER ALL!” He added with a smile. 

You nodded at him, “Okay. Does anyone want to go with me?” You began grabbing your bags.

“I WOULD LIKE TO!” Papyrus volunteered himself. 

“you might need a bit more room in your car this time around. i’ll just take a shortcut,” Stretch shoved his hands in the pocket of his hoodie as he stood up. “‘sides, i wouldn’t want to get you in trouble for having too many riding with you.”

“YES, I WILL GO HOME WITH MY BROTHER, AS WELL. THERE WILL BE OTHER DRIVING OPPORTUNITIES!” Edge began gathering his bags, “CARRYING TOO MANY ITEMS THROUGH A SHORTCUT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA. I DO NOT WANT ANYTHING TO GET LOST, SO YOU WILL BE TAKING IT WITH YOU.” 

You nodded, “Yeah that makes sense. Cars are made for carrying stuff, after all.” 

“GREAT! IT SOUNDS LIKE WE HAVE A PLAN!” Blue began gathering his things, “LET’S GO!”

You gave him a small smile, “Yeah. Okay.” You led the way out to your car, which was promptly filled with everyone’s bags. 

The car ride home was oddly quiet, despite the fact that you had both Blue and Papyrus in the car. They seemed to be more lost in thought than usual, not that you could blame them really. 

When you pulled into your garage, everyone was quick to get out and grab their things. You got your own things as well before heading inside. Your first stop was your room, where you set the guitar on your bed for the moment. 

Before you were going to give it to stretch, you had gotten something else for everyone. You smiled as you pulled a pile of whiteboards out of one of the bags, as well as a large box of assorted markers. There were seven in total; just enough to put one on every occupied door. You quickly did just that, somehow managing to avoid all of your housemates as you did so. You snapped a marker on to each of them, a different color for each skeleton. Even though your room was up another set of stairs, you put one on yours as well.

Once you were satisfied with your work, you went downstairs to find Stretch. When you couldn’t find him there, you exasperatedly climbed back up to the second floor and knocked on his door.

“who’s there?” His reply came through the door almost instantly. 

You thought for a second before replying, “Annie.”

“annie who?” 

“Annie way I can convince you to open the door?” You finished with a small smile.

There was a chuckle on the other side of the door before he swung it open and smirked at you, “nice one, honey.” He shoved his hands in his pocket and leaned on the doorway, “do ya need something?”

“Yeah, actually. Would you mind coming up to my room for a second?” You gave him a small smile.

He gave you an odd look in return, “i guess?” Your smile widened, and you began leading the way. He followed behind you, only slowing briefly at your doorway. 

You sat on your bed, next to the box, and tapped the empty space next to you in an invitation. He hesitantly complied, glancing curiously at you. 

“what’s this about?” You didn’t miss the way he kept glancing curiously at the box. You wasted no time in shoving it towards him. “what’s this?”

“Well, I saw it in the mall, and it reminded me of you, so I got it for you. I’m, uh- Well,” you sheepishly fiddled with your fingers, “It was a bit of an impulsive thing, but I hope you like it.” 

He stared at you for another few seconds before opening the box. He stilled when he saw the case, his gaze slowly moving over it, and, then up to you. You motioned for him to open it. He stared at you for a few more seconds before looking back down and popping the guitar case open. He stared quietly at the guitar.

You began getting more nervous, “If you don’t like it, we can always bring it back. I just thought that-“

He closed the lid and slid the guitar away before grabbing you and pulling you into a hug. “it’s perfect.” 

Your nerves went away as you wrapped your arms around him, “I’m glad you like it.”

“of course i do.” He rested his head on yours, “thank you.”

You chuckled, “Sure, but I think you might owe me a song.”

He pushed you out of the hug and held you at arms length. You watched in curiosity as he studied you for a second before a gentle smile settled on his face. 

“honey, i think you deserve more than just one song,” He chuckled, “but if that’s what you really want, i’ll get started on that.” 

You grinned at him, “I can’t wait.” 

“i’ll try not to disappoint you, then.” He joked, letting you go to pull the guitar to him once more.

You let out a mock gasp, “You could never! I am hurt that you would even assume that I would be disappointed in you!” 

He smiled at you before closing the case and picking it up carefully, “even if i don’t pick up my socks?”

“Even then,” you confirmed.

He stopped to stare at you once more, this time with an orange tint across his cheekbones. “you… really mean that, don’t you?”

You chuckled at his bewildered expression, “Of course I do, you numbskull. I care about you.”

He let out a sheepish chuckle before standing up with his guitar in hand, “right. well, thank you again.” You smiled as he awkwardly shuffled out of your room. You stared at the doorway happily for a few more seconds, not bothering to move off of your bed.

“That was very sweet of you.” You nearly jumped ten feet in the air at the sudden voice that came from right next to you. You quickly spun around to see Frisk sitting on you bed.

it took you a second to process that it was the same greyscale child that sometimes greeted you in your dreams. But… you didn’t think that you were asleep, and even if you were, they usually showed up in that white empty space.

“I apologize for startling you. It was not my intention,” you could see that they were fighting back a chuckle. 

“I’m… how are you here?” You asked, slowly moving to sit back down beside them. 

They hummed in thought, “You aren’t the only one who has the power to traverse universes. I’m… actually a bit surprised that you haven’t had a run in with any of the others yet.”

“Others that can… You mean I’m not the only one?” Did this mean that there were others that could help you with your task? If there really were other people who could jump between universes, were you really the  _ only  _ one that could save them?

Seemingly sensing your train of thought, Frisk continued, “You are not. Though you are still the only one that can prevent the virus. It’s not about whether or not you have the ability to jump between universes, it is about the soul. Your soul, in particular.”

“I- I just don’t get it.” You rested a hand on your chest, where you knew your soul to be, “What’s so special about me?”

They smiled, “I think you will find out sooner than you think.”

“Why are you always so cryptic?” You asked, eyeing them skeptically.

“Because it’s fun.” Oh. That… wasn’t exactly what you had been expecting. Though they were still a kid, you supposed. A creepy cryptid child, but a kid nonetheless. 

“Right,” you said, as if that were the obvious answer, “So… I’m assuming you’re here to send me on my way again, yes?”

“I’m afraid so,” they gave you a sympathetic smile, “You did wonderfully with the last universe you were in. They are safe and sound, and will remain that way.”

You slumped over in thought. You were glad that they were all safe, and you had proven to yourself that you could do it, but… you couldn’t stop the doubts hat still flooded in. You didn’t even know  _ how  _ you stopped it. Would you be able to do it again?

You started once more as a small hand rested on your shoulder, “You are more capable than you think you are.”

You frowned. The kid’s confidence in you only served to make you more nervous. But… you still had to try.

You couldn’t let anyone get hurt because of your lack of action. 

With a resolute nod to the kid, you quickly pulled the watch out of your nightstand. You shoved it in your pocket, and turned once more to face the kid, only to find that they were no longer there. There was no sign left that they had even been there in the first place. Deciding to give yourself the benefit of the doubt that you weren’t crazy, you headed downstairs.

Sans was the first monster you came across. He was in the middle of scrawling something on his door. You smiled at that.

“Hey, Sans,” you began, wandering up next to him.

“hey. thanks for taking us shopping today. paps had fun.” He smiled at you.

“Of course. I’m just sorry it ended the way it did.”

His smile twitched downwards, “s’ not your fault. you handled it really well. better than any of us would’ve, anyways.”

You fiddled with the device in your pocket, “Oh, uh. Thanks, I guess.” 

Sans looked you over, “you have something else you wanna talk about.” His assumption was correct.

“Yeah, I…” You trailed off and decided to show him the watch. “I have to.”

He glanced between it and you, “are you sure?” When you nodded, he continued, “you don’t need our permission, then. thanks for telling me, but no matter what i think you should do, you are going to end up doing what you think is best. and that’s… that’s fine. we just worry about you.”

“I know. I’ll do my best to keep myself safe,” You promised him with a small smile. It felt nice to be cared about.

“alright. good luck, sweetheart. I’m rootin’ for ya.”

You grinned at him and pulled him into a hug. “Thank you.”

Just as quick as you had pulled him in, you took a step back and looked down at the watch. With a deep breath, you activated it.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What does the chapter title have to do with the contents of this chapter? Absolutely nothing. I’m just a huge nerd.
> 
> I’m not sure how I feel about this chapter, really... but I’m hoping that the next few will definitely be better!!
> 
> Thank you guys for sticking around and reading this story!!


	43. Here We Go Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find yourself in a new universe once again.
> 
> ... but something isn’t quite right this time around.

When you appeared in the new universe, you appeared further above the ground than you would have liked. Even though the ground was layered with snow, it still hurt when you hit it. You groaned and sat up, attempting to get your bearings.

“YOU!” You turned to the sudden voice, “YOU’RE A HUMAN!” It was Sans! Or, well, a version of him, anyways. Judging by his volume and ensemble, he was more like Blue than Sans. You wondered if this was another one of those personality swap universes. Though, he was dressed in much darker clothes than Blue would wear. In fact, his clothes reminded you a bit of Edge’s.

“Uh? Yes,” you called back.

He ran up to you, and much to your surprise, roughly grabbed you by the arm and tugged you to your feet. You blinked in surprise as he began pulling you through Snowdin.

“I hope you don’t mind my asking, but… where are we going?” You asked, letting yourself be dragged behind Sans.

“SOMETHING ODD IS GOING ON. THERE HAVEN’T BEEN ANY HUMANS IN THE UNDERGROUND IN YEARS, AND SUDDENLY THERE ARE TWO OF THEM IN ONE DAY? NOT TO MENTION, THE FACT THAT HALF OF THE POPULATION OF SNOWDIN IS SUDDENLY MISSING, AND NO ONE SEEMS TO CARE, OR THE FACT THAT MY BROTHER HAS LOCKED HIMSELF IN HIS ROOM FOR NO REASON!”

You stumbled a bit as your brain caught up with his speech, “Wait, what do you mean half of Snowdin is missing?” You inhaled sharply, “Oh, this could be really bad.”

He stopped walking and gripped your arm harder. “YOU KNOW SOMETHING, DON’T YOU?” He turned to look back at you with a harsh expression.

“Is anything wrong with the town itself, or is it just the residents?” You asked hurriedly as you began walking towards the city.

“THAT DID NOT ANSWER MY QUESTION, HUMAN.” He sped up so that he was walking ahead of you.

“Look, if the town’s already gone, then I don’t really have time to explain why I’m here.”

“GONE? THE TOWN ITSELF IS NOT MISSING.” Sans gave you an odd look over his shoulder, “AND WE HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH TIME. EXPLAIN WHY YOU ARE HERE,” He demanded.

“Alright. Fine. I’m here from another universe because you guys are all in danger of getting permanently erased from the multiverse,” you explained curtly.

“HA! YOU MUST THINK I AM A MORON IF THAT’S THE STORY YOU WANT ME TO BELIEVE! I CAN SEE RIGHT THROUGH YOUR POORLY CONSTRUCTED TREACHERY!”

You sighed, “Why do I always have this problem? You guys can teleport, and I have seen you guys toss physics out the window more times than I can count, and yet you’re surprised at my story? Why?” You were complaining mostly to yourself at that point.

“TO MY KNOWLEDGE, HUMANS DO NOT POSSESS THE MEANS TO… WHAT WAS IT? TRAVEL ACROSS DIMENSIONS?” He gave you a smug look, “MONSTERS ARE FAR SUPERIOR IN THEIR MAGICAL CAPABILITIES.”

You raised a brow, “Is that right?” Frisk had magic. You decided against refuting his claim with that. It wasn’t your place to reveal Frisk’s secrets. “Well, I can’t do it on my own, but I _can_.”  Maybe you could use some recently found knowledge to convince him. “If I wasn’t from another dimension, where there is another version of you, then how is it possible that I know your full name?”

The lights in his eyes went out, “You’re Bluffing.”

“Or am I, mister Comic?” You smirked.

“DON’T CALL ME THAT.” He turned and began hurriedly walking away from you. “YOU ARE LUCKY ENOUGH THAT I DECIDED NOT TO SKEWER YOU ON THE SPOT, DO NOT PUSH YOUR LUCK.”

You grew a bit more nervous at that. Would he really have attacked you if he hadn’t had a crazy day? If this universe was anything like the one Red and Edge had come from, then you were safe to assume that he probably would have.

You were silent for the rest of the trek to the town of Snowdin. Instead of speaking, you busied yourself with examining the trees, a lot of which were covered in the marks of attacks. Even the snow around them showed signs of a fight between the shattered splinters of bark and the scuffs in the otherwise unsettled snow. The snow seemed to have a grey coloration to it near the areas where it looked like fighting had happened. Spots like that had been all over in Red and Edge’s universe as well, hadn’t it?

“Hey, Sans?” You tried getting his attention.

“WHAT NOW,” he sounded like he would rather be anywhere else.

“What’s up with the grey areas in the snow?”

He stopped walking and poked back at you in disbelief, “ARE YOU DENSE?”

Your face scrunched up in confusion, “Uh, I don’t think so? I was just curious.”

“IT’S DUST,” he looked as though he was expecting some kind of freak out from you.

“Oh. Okay?” You were beyond confused. Why would you make a big deal about dust?

“YOU REALLY DON’T KNOW.” He seemed to contemplate something for a second, “WELL LET ME EDUCATE YOU, THEN. DUST IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A MONSTER DIES.”

You froze at that, glancing around at all of the areas that were covered in it. You opened and closed your mouth a few times in shock. “What?” Your voice was small enough that he had barely heard you.

“MONSTERS ARE NOT MADE OF THE SAME GROSS SQUISHY STUFF HUMANS ARE MADE OF. OUR BODIES DON’T PERSIST AFTER DEATH LIKE YOURS WOULD.” He casually explained to you.

You felt your breathing get a bit more shallow as you rested a hand over your mouth, “They’re corpses. I don’t-“ You were looking at a bunch of dead monsters.

“WOULD YOU HURRY UP? IT’S NOT A BIG DEAL.” He began walking once more.

Your eyes slowly moved over to him, and you stared in shock, “Not.. a big deal? What the hell do you mean it’s not a big deal?! There are dead people all over the ground! How could you just-” you cut yourself off and shook your head.

He stopped once more and looked back at you with an expression that you couldn’t quite read. “IT’S KILL OR BE KILLED HERE. THAT DUST IS NOT MINE, THEREFORE, IT IS NOT MY CONCERN.”

You frowned. That was a horrible mindset to be in. It couldn’t possibly be that bad in the underground, could it? Even if it was, you were shocked that he felt that way about it. There were dead monsters up and down the path, and he was telling you to just ignore them?! Who does that?!

You decided not to answer him. An argument was the last thing that you wanted, and that was exactly what was going to happen if you kept going the way you were. So, you resigned yourself to walk behind him, giving the piles of dust a wide berth.

Once you reached Snowdin, you realized that Sans was right. Snowdin felt empty. Maybe empty wasn’t the right word. Abandoned would be a more accurate description. You felt bad that you kept comparing it to the universe that Red and Edge came from, but at least in theirs, you knew that there were people in the town. Here, you didn’t even feel like you were being watched. You got the creeping suspicion that it was because there wasn’t anyone to do the watching in the first place.

“WE WILL STOP BY MY HOUSE IN ORDER TO ATTEMPT TO GATHER MY BROTHER.” Sans began leading the way to a familiar house. It was odd really, that no matter what universe you were in, Sans and Papyrus’ house was always recognizable. In fact, there was very little that was different about it in comparison to the others that you had seen.

“ARE YOU GOING TO STARE AT IT ALL DAY, OR ARE YOU GOING TO GO INSIDE?” Sans gave you a look as he waited in the doorway.

“Oh!” You gave him a sheepish smile before following him inside, “Yeah, sorry.”

He immediately began heading up the stairs. You decided to wait at the bottom as he pounded loudly on a door. There was a moment of silence as he waited for a reply, but when there was one, he knocked again.

“I KNOW YOU ARE IN THERE! NOW STOP LAZING AROUND AND DO SOMETHING USEFUL FOR ONCE!” Sans banged on the door once more after he was done talking. You found yourself frowning at his harshness. Despite that, you felt a bit uncomfortable listening in, so you moved away from the bottom of the staircase, and instead found yourself sitting on their couch.

Was he okay? You didn’t know him well enough to be able to gauge how odd it was for him to be locking himself in his room, but it gave you a bad feeling. Paired with the emptiness of the town, your nerves were kicked into overdrive, and you were beginning to get more and more anxious to get a move on.

You were staring down at your lap when you finally heard footsteps going down the stairs. You stood up and looked over to the pair of skeletons. Sans trotted over to you without much hesitation. Papyrus, on the other hand, was frozen at the bottom of the steps. The two of you locked eyes, and he just stared at you with an oddly blank expression.

You took the opportunity to examine him. He looked tired. You could tell that very easily, even from where you were standing. He was slouched into his jacket, and the dense fluff of his hood was framing his face as he stared.

“Hi,” you said dumbly. He didn’t reply, and instead just continued to stare at you. You awkwardly cleared your throat, “Oh. Okay, then. I don’t really have too much time, so if we could just,” You gestured to the door.

“YES, YES. LET’S GO FIND WHATEVER IT IS THAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR.” Sans glanced between you and his brother before parading back out the door.

You didn’t get the chance to follow.

In the time it took you to look back to Papyrus, he was suddenly towering above you, ignoring any and all personal space that you may have wanted.

“who are you and what are you looking for?” He even sounded tired.

You sighed and gently pushed him back with one hand. He followed your hand and took a step back, though you knew that he could could have stayed if he really wanted to.

“I’m looking for something odd,” you began walking towards the door, and he followed behind you. “It’s most likely going to be a creepy white emptiness. Seen anything like that?”

“why are you looking for it?” He seemed to be asking a lot of questions. Before you could answer, though, Sans cut in.

“APPARENTLY, SHE IS FROM ANOTHER UNIVERSE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SHE BELIEVES THAT OUR ‘WORLD IS IN DANGER OF BEING ERASED’, THOUGH I THINK SHE MAY BE CRAZY.” He seemed to think for a second, “ALTHOUGH, WITH THE DAY THAT I’VE HAD, I CAN’T SAY THAT I WOULD BE SURPRISED IF HER STORY HAD SOME TRUTH TO IT.”

“erased…?” Papyrus seemed to stumble a bit. “like, gone forever?”

You nodded, “Yeah, that’s what I’m trying to stop.”

“RIDICULOUS,” Sans scoffed, “THAT YOU EXPECT ME TO PUT SOMETHING SO IMPORTANT IN THE HANDS OF SOME PATHETIC HUMAN.” He sighed, “FIRST I HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE MISSING MONSTERS, AND NOW I HAVE TO DEAL WITH _THIS_.”

“missing monsters?” Papyrus seemed to be in a sort of daze. You were getting an off feeling about the way his eyes seemed unfocused, and how he seemed to be swaying just enough for you to notice now that you were examining him. “did… did the kid already come through here?”

Sans thought for a moment, “I AM NOT SURE. I SAW THEM WANDERING THE OUTSKIRTS OF SNOWDIN EARLIER TODAY. I TRIED TO CONFRONT THEM, BUT THEY KEPT DISAPPEARING INTO THE TREES.”

Papyrus dropped his skull into his hands and continued asking questions, “what was their LV? did you see it?”

Sans gave his brother an odd look, “NO. I DIDN’T GET THE CHANCE…” Sans glanced around, “BUT NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT, THERE DID SEEM TO BE MORE DUST THAN USUAL BETWEEN HERE AND THE RUINS.”

Papyrus visibly shuddered, and you put your hands up to react… somehow. You weren’t sure you knew what was going on, but you didn’t like it one bit.

Papyrus’ breathing became ragged, much to your panic. “i can’t do this again,” He mumbled. “why would you make me go through this again? i don’t wanna see you die again. i can’t keep- i can’t”

“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?” Sans gave his brother an odd look.

Papyrus began laughing. It wasn’t a good laugh though. It was the kind of uncomfortable hysterical laughter that immediately set you on edge. “of course you don’t know what i’m talking about! you never remember. no one does. i’m the only one who- who..” he mumbled something that you couldn’t catch after trailing off. He then let out a humorless chuckle, “if it’s gone, the loop ‘ll be gone, too, right?”

You gave him a questioning look, “The loop?” You took a second to scour your thoughts. That sound familiar. Maybe Sans had mentioned something about a loop?

You took in a sharp breath when you finally remembered something, “The kid!” Papyrus’s attention immediately shot towards you.

“what?”

“The, uh kid? Sometimes it’s Frisk, but I’ve run into a Chara, too. Sans told me something about the kid having time… powers? Or something like that? I donno. I’ve never seen it happen, but it seems to be a reoccurring thing down here.”

“you… you know about it.” He looked at ou with an expression of awe before shaking his head. “it won’t matter to them. you’re new, but you won’t be here long. it’s only a matter of time before it starts all over.” He seemed like he was getting closer and closer to A complete breakdown.

You weren’t sure how to console him, and he seemed much too lost in his thoughts to be pulled back out of them easily. But… his panic did raise a question in your mind. You knew that there were others that were aware of the time resetting, but no one of them had reacted the way this Papyrus was.

“Papyrus… how many times have you… have they turned back time?”

His panic was momentarily put on pause as he stared at you, “i lost count somewhere in the hundreds.”

Your mouth opened, only to promptly shut once more. What could you possibly say to that? He had been reliving the same few days over, and over, and _over_. You couldn’t even begin to understand what that was like.

“and now, you show up,” He continued, though he seemed to be getting more and more unstable as he went. “you show up, and suddenly the only way out of the loop is for everything to disappear forever? everything i’ve been through will have been for absolutely nothing…” he trailed off, and you could see his expression become unfocused. You we’re no doctor, but that paired with the fact that he still seemed unsteady on his feet did not make for a good combination.

Just as that thought passed through your head, Papyrus fell to the floor in a heap, causing you to instantly jump into action. Though, you really just jumped to attention. You had no idea what was going on, but you knew that it was a good reason to begin freaking out.

While trying to figure out what to do with Papyrus, you saw Sans take a step towards him in your peripheral vision. You glanced over to see that the lights in his eyes had gone dim, and he was staring at his brother.

“... Papyrus?” He was quiet as he spoke. Then, something seemed to switch in his mind as he rushed to his brother’s side. He flipped Papyrus over so that he was on his back. You watched as he examined his brother in a frenzied panic. “PAPYRUS, ARE YOU-“ the lights in his eyes faded completely as he looked down at his hands. They shook as he slowly lifted them up to examine them. You could see a thin layer of iridescent grey coating his phalanges. Was that…?

You watched in a stunned silence as Sans rested a hand on Papyrus’ chest. He made an odd tugging motion, and the familiar shape of a soul followed.

“Oh shit,” you murmured. It was dim, and tiny cracks spiderwebbed their way across the entirety of its surface. It was very safe to assume that wasn’t normal.

Sans fell back so that he was sitting in the snow next to his brother. “No,” he mumbled. “NO! I FORBID YOU FROM FALLING DOWN! YOU’D BETTER STOP IT RIGHT THIS INSTANT OR I’LL- I’LL!” He punched the ground, “How could I have let this happen? How did I not see what was- what you were-“ he shook his head and opened his mouth a few times, but he couldn’t seem to say anything else.

“Can’t you heal him?” You finally broke out of your stupor enough to ask.

“DON’T YOU THINK I WOULD IF I COULD?! HE’S MY BROTHER! I WOULDN’T JUST LET HIM DIE!” He snapped at you, though he never pulled his gaze away from the soul that hovered above Papyrus’ chest. “I could heal him physically, but this isn’t physical. He gave up. He gave up, and I can’t heal his hope. I don’t think there’s any monster alive that can do that.” You could see the tears welling up in the bottom of his sockets.

His hope? Did all monsters die when they lose hope? You didn’t know what to do, but you knew that you needed to do _something._ You couldn’t let him die.

You felt a wave of determination crash over you. You _wouldn’t_ let him die.

Almost as if you were on auto-pilot, you rushed to his side, but instead of sitting next to him, you straddled yourself across his middle and reached out for his soul.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” You ignored Sans.

“Listen here, you asshole.” Your hands came to rest at either side of his soul, just close enough so that you could feel the energy coming off of it. “You aren’t dying on my watch. I’ve lost enough people, and I don’t plan on losing you. So, you’re going to suck it up and keep on going, even if I have to drag you back from the brink of death itself.”

You felt a pain in your chest as you concentrated on… something. You had no idea what it was. You ignored the pain.

“I don’t care what I have to do! You _aren’t_ dying. You are going to help me fix this shitty universe so that you can get a _goddamned happy ending_ , do you understand?!”

You instinctually screwed your eyes shut as you focused on the feeling in your chest, and the dull humming energy that was weakly emanating from his soul. The pain in your chest grew sharper, but you didn’t stop whatever you were doing. Sans’ voice reached you, but is sounded muffled and warbled, as bough it were coming through layers of water. You couldn’t understand him, so you continued to ignore him.

Your hands began feeling oddly warm, as though you were holding them near a fire. It wasn’t too uncomfortable, so you pressed on.

You were so invested in doing… whatever it was that you were doing, that you had barely noticed the feeling of a pair of hands wrapping around your wrists. They tightened before you heard a voice, though it was much clearer than Sans’ had been.

“you need to stop. you’re hurting yourself.”

You opened your eyes in surprise and stared down at Papyrus. His soul, which was still between your hands, didn’t have any of the cracks anymore. It was still dim, but it was intact. You moved your attention up to Papyrus’ face. He was staring at you with an emotion that you couldn’t place.

You looked back down at his soul. Now that he was decidedly not in any immediate danger you realized how your positioning must have looked, and found yourself blushing at the entire situation. You tugged your hands away from his soul, dislodging his grip on your wrists in the process.

“Sorry, I uh.” You cleared your throat and averted your gaze from his soul. “I’m glad your okay.” You were reminded once more of the position you were in when he rested a hand on your waist. You flung yourself off of him, now very sure that your face was a deep red. “Sorry!” You apologized once more.

You heard him chuckle, “cute.”

You stuttered out a flustered noise, but decided to turn you attention to Sans. He was easier to deal with.

He was also looking at you with bright eyelights. He didn’t say anything, even when you made eye contact with him. He just continued staring.

“Um? What… exactly just happened?” You still had no idea. You were glad that whatever you did had worked, but you really wanted to clear some of the muddled confusion from your thoughts.

Sans didn’t say anything, but Papyrus grabbed your attention when he began speaking, “it’s kinda weird. when you first got here, i couldn’t see your soul. but, now-“

He was interrupted by Sans who finally spoke up, “YOU’RE A MAGE.” He said it as if he had finally found the last piece to a puzzle he had been working on.

You looked over at him, and stared blankly for a few seconds. After a few seconds of silence, you spoke.

“I’m sorry, what?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw man, now we’re getting somewhere. ;)
> 
>  
> 
> Also: YOU GUYS. It’s almost been an entire year since I published this!!! WHoly heck!!! That’s like... 365 days!!! That’s a whole lotta days!! I was kind of hoping to be able to do a special chapter or something for it... but with where I am in the plot, I don’t know how well I’ll be able to do that... I’m sure I’ll figure something out. But there most definitely will be some kind of sappy note at the bottom.
> 
> Also, also: Don’t forget that if you have any questions or anything for me, I’m always around to be bothered! (My tumblr is the easiest way to do that, but I try my best to reply to comments, as well.)


	44. A New Challanger Approaches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yer a what??? (Well, you aren’t exactly a wizard, but that joke had to be made)

“DO YOU NEED ME TO SPELL IT OUT FOR YOU?” Sans asked sharply. “OR DO YOU NEED TO ME EXPLAIN MAGES TO YOU, AS WELL?”

“I know what a mage is!” You snapped, “I just- that can’t be right. I’m just- I mean, I’m not- I never… I’m not anything special.”

“oh, i beg to differ, darlin’.” Papyrus shifted so that he was sitting up. “I hate to tell ya this, but if it weren’t for you, i’d be dead.”

“But I don’t even know what I did!” You continued to argue with them in disbelief. 

“that doesn't matter, and it’s not really how magic works. magic is more reliant on feelings.” He explained.

“So, you’re saying that I magically healed you… because I felt like it?” You frowned at him.

“NOT EXACTLY. YOU DIDN’T EVEN HEAL HIM IN THE TRADITIONAL SENSE.” Sans stood up and dusted himself off, which you found to be moderately disturbing. “PHYSICALLY, YOU DIDN’T DO A THING. YOU RESTORED HIS HP DIRECTLY. BUT, YOU ALSO DIDN’T JUST MAGICALLY MANIFEST HP OUT OF NOTHING.”

“you gave me yours,” you looked over to Papyrus, who was staring intently at the center of your chest. “heh. you’re one hopeful gal, aren’t cha? either way, you gave up a whole lot of it.”

You clutched at your chest. Was that why you felt so… empty? It was painful, and you decided that you didn’t really care for it. 

“ON THE OTHER HAND,” your attention was brought back to Sans, “I DON’T THINK THAT I’VE EVER SEEN HIM WITH A HIGHER HP. WITH A BASE STAT OF ONE, IT’S HARD FOR HIM TO GET ANYTHING ABOVE TEN OR SO, EVEN WITH THE AMOUNT THAT HE SLEEPS.” 

You blinked in confusion, glancing between the two brothers as your brain slowly processed what they were saying. You were… you had magic. Actual, real magic. Your internal debate about that would have to wait, though. You still had more that you needed to get done in this universe before you could take a break. 

You stood up, which proved to be slightly harder than you wanted it to be. Nonetheless, you managed to get your balance on a set of wobbly legs without falling back down. 

“woah, hey.” Papyrus followed your lead and stood up, “where d’ya think you’re going?”

“I’ve still got things to do here. I can’t waste time sitting around.” You began wandering away, but were stopped by a tug on your coat. You nearly tumbled backwards into Sans.

“NO YOU DON’T. NOT IN YOUR CONDITION. YOU CAN’T LOSE THAT MUCH HP IN ONE SITTING WITHOUT BEING HURT. THE MOST YOU’LL BE ABLE TO DO IN YOUR CONDITION IS FALL FLAT ON YOUR FACE.” He began tugging you roughly to the house that you had just come from. 

“No, you don’t understand! I can’t do that! I have to-“

“SHUT UP. YOU KEPT MY BROTHER ALIVE, SO IT’S ONLY FAIR THAT I EXTEND THE SAME TO YOU WHILE YOU ARE HERE. BUT, I CAN’T DO THAT IF YOU CONTINUE TO BE A COMPLETE IMBECILE.” 

“You are putting me in more danger by keeping me from looking! You’re putting everyone in more danger!” To your frustration, your words continued to go ignored by him. You turned to Papyrus, but he shook his head at you before you could even say anything. You groaned and attempted to tug yourself away from Sans. 

You quickly found yourself tossed over his shoulder. 

“Wha- Hey! Let me go!” You tried to wiggle free, but you were just tired enough that you really didn’t get anywhere. 

“Oh,” a new voice caused you to stop struggling. From the corner of your eye, you noticed Papyrus tensing up. “This is new.”

You looked over to see a familiar kid smiling at you. They looked very similar to Chara, but something about them was just… off. Your eyes widened when they caught the iridescence on their sweater. Then you noticed the glint of a knife in their hand. They carelessly swung it around as they sauntered closer. 

“I have to say,” their voice was odd too, though you were having trouble placing what was wrong with it. “I never expected to see another human down here.” They giggled, and it sent shivers down your spine. 

“kid, don’t do something you’re gonna regret.” Papyrus’ posture straitened as he glared down at them.

The kid blinked in surprise, “Very interesting. You stopped fighting me, what, fifty resets ago? I thought you gave up. What happened?” Their grin looked uncomfortably large as they glanced between the three of you. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. It just gives me the chance to  _ break you again,” _ they cackled in twisted glee. 

“Woah there kid. Maybe you should put that down,” you tried, though from the determined glint in their eye, you knew it would be futile. 

Their smile dropped just a fraction, “I don’t think I will. I would very much like to see you try to stop me, though. It’ll be the most interesting thing that’s happened in a long time!”

You didn’t know what they were capable of, but something told you that this kid was probably one of the most dangerous things you’d met so far. Attempting to do anything against them would be a horrible idea on your part. Plus, they were just a kid. You weren’t sure if you could hurt a kid.

“You see, Sans is predictable. An easy target, really. Forgettable at best. And Papyrus, well, I got my fair share of loads because of him. He stopped being fun when he gave up, though. Fighting something without a will to live is boring. It was even worse when he was already dust when I got to him. It’s a shame that the most powerful monster I’ve gone up against gives up so easily.”  Their eyes never left yours during the monologue. They were glowing. There was no way that was normal. 

You needed to find a way out of this without anyone getting hurt.

“If you kill me, this entire universe is going to disappear,” you tried to reason with them. “There’s some kind of virus that’s eating away at your world. If I don’t do something about it, everything will be gone, including you.”

The smile dropped as they stared at you. “You… really think that matters? I’ve erased and restarted this world more times than I can count! I can just do it again!” They growled out.

You had a feeling that it didn’t work that way. If it really was that simple, then why were you needed for any of it? You recalled something from a long time ago. Fell had mentioned not being able to load when the virus had eaten up their universe. If it got all the way through, there would be nothing to load anymore. You can’t reset something that doesn’t exist, after all. 

“You’re wrong,” you pushed yourself off of Sans’ shoulder and stared at them. “That isn’t how this works.”

“What do  _ you  _ know?!” You didn’t have any time to react as hey lunged for you in a way that made you question whether or not they were really just a human child. 

You braced for a hit that never came. Instead, you heard a crack that sounded an awful lot like breaking bones. You looked to see a wall of bones separating you from the kid. A few of the ones directly in front of you had a deep gash along them. 

“I THINK I’VE HEARD ENOUGH.” Sans pulled you back, this time pushing you behind him, “AND I MUST SAY, I AM NOT IMPRESSED.”

Papyrus moved up next his brother, “i think i agree. we’ve been your toys for far too long.”

The kid laughed. It seemed to echo all around you in a way that made you want to cover your ears and run. “Oh, but the game is  **_just starting._ ** ” 

And then they lunged again. You stumbled back as a flurry of movement pulled your attention to seemingly everywhere at once. A wall of bones was sent off in one direction, while the kid jumped another. A flurry of snow was launched into the air as another wave of bones came up from the ground. 

You heard the noise that you had come to associate with the blasters, though you were confused when you didn’t see it in the fray. Your confusion swiftly ended when you noticed it hovering above you. Its jaws were open, a soft blood-orange glow coming from the center of them. 

Your attention was brought back to the fight when you heard another blaster go off. A ray of light streaked across the clearing, and you watched in a stupor as the kid easily moved around it as if they had done it a thousand times before. The grin never left their face as they weaved through barrages of attacks with a practiced ease. 

They continuously switched their attention between the brothers, lunging at one with an attack, but moving on to the other when they missed. The constant back and forth went on until the kid seemed to remember that you were there. 

They made eye contact with you for just a second before they held the knife above their head and threw it. Your eyes widened in surprise, and you squealed as you flung yourself out of the way. You instinctively brought your hands up to protect your head, which was apparently was the right thing to do as you felt a sudden sharp pain on the back of your hand. You hit the ground with a heavy thud that nearly took your breath away. The knife clattered to the ground behind you. 

You peeked out from behind your hands to see the kid staring you down. You glanced behind you. You were the only thing standing between them and the knife, and both of you knew it. Everyone stood almost perfectly still for a few seconds. The blaster above you began to glow brighter. Then, the kid ran towards you.

Suddenly, everything was back in action again. They avoided everything the brothers were throwing at them, though it did slow them down. In a blind panic, you scrambled backwards until your heel hit the metal blade. You glanced down at it before making the executive decision to pick it up. 

You equipped the real knife.

They slowed when they saw that you were brandishing it in their direction. Then the let out a chuckle, “What do you think you’re going to do with that?  **_Kill me?_ ** I doubt it.”

You thought for a second before an idea struck you. You dropped your hands, and one of them went into your pocket. 

“You’re right. I won’t do that,” as quickly as you could, you pulled the watch out of your pocket and opened up the dimensional box. “But I can’t let you have this, either.”

Their eyes widened when they figured out what you were doing, but the knife disappeared into the box before they could do anything. They began to go for you once more with a newfound aggression, “ **_No! That’s not YOURS!_ ** ”

You jumped to the side just as a wall of bones shot up between you and the kid. They growled as they hit it, looking up at you with seething rage. As they stared you down, you saw Papyrus’s eye flare up with magic from just behind them. 

They didn’t have enough time to react as a light blue bone shot up from the ground, piercing them right through their chest. You winced, expecting some kind of gore that never came. 

They slowly looked down, and began laughing in broken hysterics. “What are you waiting for? You know this won’t hold me for long! Just kill me!”

“no can do. i know that if i kill you, you’ll just keep coming back.” Papyrus appeared right behind you. “i just needed to buy some time.” He grabbed your arm, any you felt the familiar weightlessness of being teleported. 

When the world blinked back into your vision, you found yourself in a small lab. It must have been the one under the skeleton brother’s house. 

You felt a shift in the air as Papyrus disappeared again, only to quickly return with Sans. They both looked at you in silence before Sans broke it.

“YOU’RE HURT.” You glanced down at your hand, only to see red slowly dripping down from your fingers. As if seeing the injury triggered something in your brain now that you were out of immediate danger, your hand began to  _ hurt.  _ You pulled it to your chest, your opposite hand hovering near it just in case. 

“I’ll live,” you stated through a wince. “I have to-“

“oh, no. you’re not still on about that, are you?” Papyrus shoved his hands in his pockets and shook his head at you, “in case ya didn’t notice, this universe ‘s been screwed for a while now, darlin’.”

“I HATE TO SAY IT, BUT I AGREE. THE HUMAN WOULD HAVE HAD TO GO ON QUITE THE SPREE IN ORDER TO GET THE AMOUNT OF LV THAT THEY HAVE.” Sans crossed his arms and began looking around in thought. 

You let yourself fall to the floor with a heavy sigh, dropping your hands into your lap. “I… don’t know what to do here. I don’t want to let an entire universe die off. But, if it’s really as hopeless as you seem to believe, then…” you trailed off and fiddled with the watch in your pocket.

If there really wasn’t anyone left to save, then what was the point? To bring something back for that kid to continue to hurt? You got the feeling that they were far beyond saving at this point. 

… You could just go home. You could go home, and bring Sans and Papyrus with you. It wasn’t like you had never done that before. But doing that would mean that this universe loses any and all chance of survival. 

You pushed yourself up off the floor, wincing when you put too much weight on your hand. You felt more exhausted than you were willing to admit. The brothers waited for whatever you had decided to do. 

“I really don’t want to leave this universe to die,” you began, “but, I know a hopeless cause when I see one.” You pulled the watch out of your pocket and opened it. You bit your lip as you stared down at the panels on the inside. “You guys can come with me if you want. But, uh… I think I want to go home.”

You felt a hand rest on your lower back. You were too tired to argue with Papyrus about his hand placement. “just tell us what we need to do.”

You looked up at him, then over at Sans, “Just hold on, and don’t let go.”

They followed what you had said, and you let out a small sigh before you activated the watch to bring you back home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the first Genocide timeline!!! I hope you enjoyed your visit!!!
> 
> If you have any questions, comments or concerns: I’m always around to listen to them ;)


	45. The Story Of A Girl...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find yourself back home once more. You have quite a bit of explaining to do. 
> 
> (Alternatively: ...Who cried a river and drowned the whole world)

You were left feeling a bit dizzy as you appeared back in your house. You found yourself swaying on your feet a bit, but a hand on your back steadied you. You glanced back to Papyrus and gave him a nod in thanks. You took a step away from him once you had gotten your bearings. You were in your dining room. 

“I’m back,” you said out loud, more out of habit than anything else. You hadn’t really expected anyone to hear you, and yet, someone had. 

“hey doll,” Red called from the kitchen. “where’d you-“ as soon as he entered the dining room, his eyes widened as he took in the scene before him. 

The lights in his eyes went out, and the cup that he had been holding fell to the ground. You winced as it shattered, and shards of glass went skittering across the floor. 

The room fell into a tense silence. Your attention was solely on Red while you tried to figure out what was going on with him.

“IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT? I HEARD A-“ Papyrus,  _ your _ Papyrus, peeked in the room, and his gaze quickly fell on you as well, “-OH! Oh, Dear.”

Through the silence that followed, you heard a muffled drip hitting the ground. You brought your hand back up to your chest, knowing that the gash on your hand was the cause of it.

Red seemed to bristle at the sight, and you quickly found yourself being yanked over to him magically. 

“Wha- hey!” You couldn’t really do much to fight it, but you still complained at the sudden jerking around. 

When you were close enough, he grabbed you, though he never took his gaze off of the two new skeletons. Much to your confusion, he pulled you against his chest, and let out a low growl.

“Miss (Y/N), You’re Hurt!” Papyrus’s concerned voice came as he rushed away in a panic. 

Sans, the one you had just come across, took a step forward. Red’s grip on you tightened as the growl got louder. 

“w h a t  d i d y o u  d o t o h e r?” The venom in his voice surprised you. You could feel the cracking energy of magic in the air around him. 

“Woah, Red! They didn’t-“ a blaster was summoned next to you and Red, and you began to panic once more. “Red!” You tried to bring his attention back to you to no avail. “Sans! Stop it!”

The use of his real name seemed to do the trick, at least somewhat. He snapped his gaze to you, and you found yourself shrinking under it. He seemed to freeze at your expression. His grip didn’t loosen, and the blaster stayed, so you continued. 

“Listen to me, Red. I’m safe. You’re safe. It’s okay. They didn’t hurt me. Please put the blaster away.” You grabbed on to the front of his jacket, “Please, Red. I’ve had enough for one day.” 

His grip loosened, though his arms were still wrapped around you protectively. His gaze moved from you to the two new skeletons, “alright.” Just like that, the blaster vanished, and you relaxed in his hold.

A heavy thud of footsteps alerted you to another person rushing in. And then the crackle of magic told you that another teleported in. Two voices chimed at the same time. 

“MISS (Y/N)!-“

“what happened?”

Sans and Blue both stopped to assess the scene before them. When their eyes fell on you, they froze, much in the same way Red had. You watched as the lights in Sans’ eyes grew dim and fuzzy. 

“I’M BACK!” Papyrus’ entrance caused you to jump. You looked over to see that he had found a first-aid kit. He reached a hand out for you and dropped his voice once more, sensing the atmosphere of the room. “You Can Tell Us What Happened While I Bandage That Up For You.” 

You tried to escape from Red, only to find that he wasn’t having any of that. With a frustrated huff, you moved over to the table, dragging him along with you. You pulled out a chair and pointed.

“Sit.” Red gave you a confused expression.

“what am i, a dog?” He questioned you, but sat nonetheless.

You shook your head and slid onto the table itself, reaching your hand out to Papyrus. He didn’t waste any time in looking it over.

“I’m, uh. Sorry to upset you guys like this,” you began while Papyrus worked on your hand. “I didn’t mean too. But, I’m okay, and everything turned out… well, I’m okay. And so are they.” You gestured to the Sans and Papyrus that hadn’t gotten a nickname yet. “We ran into a bit of a problem.”

“that’s the understatement of the year, darlin’.” Papyrus, you decided to call him just Rus in your head in order to keep from confusing yourself, drawled out.

You winced at a prod in your hand, and Papyrus quickly mumbled an apology. “Yeah, I guess,” you agreed, though you didn’t say anything more.

Sans,  _ your Sans _ , let out a sigh. “we’ve got a lot to talk about. you think you can manage it, sweetheart?”

You nodded and slouched down, “Yeah. Where do you want me to start?”

He looked you over in thought for a second, and you winced once more as your hand shifted in an uncomfortable way.

“WHY DON’T WE JUST HEAL HER?” Blue stepped closer to you and hovered near Papyrus, though he didn’t move to stop him. 

“I DON’T THINK THAT’S A VERY GOOD IDEA RIGHT NOW.” Papyrus glanced at the center of your chest, “I DON’T KNOW IF SHE’LL REACT VERY WELL TO IT.”

That made you pause, “What? What do you mean by that?”

“WELL I’M NOT CERTAIN AS TO WHAT THE OUTCOME WOULD BE. THERE’S A VERY GOOD CHANCE THAT IT WOULD WORK NORMALLY, BUT I’D RATHER NOT RISK IT.” That… explained absolutely nothing. He didn’t elaborate any further, and let his focus fall back to bandaging your hand. 

“that’s probably a bad place to start. why not try the beginning, honey?” You glanced over at Stretch, who had appeared on the table next to you. How long had he been there?

You shook off your surprise, “Er. Yeah, okay. But, maybe we should all be here for this?” You glanced around, seeing that there was only one housemate missing. 

“i got it,” Red claimed with a smirk. You watched curiously as he snapped his fingers with a wink. There was the sound of a thud upstairs

Everyone waited for a few seconds until-

“SANS!” A pair of footsteps dashed down the stairs- he skipped the last few- and into the kitchen. “WOULD YOU STOP DOING THAT?!” He stopped in the doorway, his frustration over whatever Red had done melted into confusion as he scanned over the room. He eyed the newcomers with distrust.

You gave him a tired smile, “There you are. Just in time for a story.” He didn’t reply, but he leaned on the doorway, giving you his attention.

You took a deep breath before letting out a dry chuckle, “So, apparently I’m a mage.”

There were very few surprised faces.

“yeah, we started to suspect that a while ago. there was too much that didn’t line up with you,” Sans took a seat at the table as he spoke.

You looked at him in curiosity, “What do you mean?”

“none of us could see your soul, which was the first clue,” he leaned on elbows, and glanced between you and you guests. “and now that we  _ can  _ see your soul, it’s kinda obvious.”

“though i’m a bit curious as to why your hp is so low,” Stretch added, shooting a glance at Russ and his brother.

“I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW AS WELL,” Papyrus said, gently setting your bandaged hand back in your lap, “I DON’T THINK THAT A WOUND LIKE THAT ONE COULD TAKE THAT MUCH AWAY FROM YOU.”

“Oh, well,” you glanced at Rus, unsure as to how to explain what had happened in a… gentle way. “You see-“

“i was falling down,” okay, apparently you were explaining it bluntly, then. “if it wasn’t for her magic, i would be a pile of dust in the snow right now.”

“HER MAGIC,” Sans, who you had yet to think of a nickname for, added, “WHICH BY THE WAY SEEMS TO BE INCREASINGLY DANGEROUS TO HER, SEEMS TO BE ABLE TO AFFECT SOULS DIRECTLY.”

“The, uh,” You cleared your throat and rested a hand where you knew your soul to be. “The hope that I gave him had to come from somewhere.”

Red turned around so that he was sitting backwards in the chair and leaned on you, “what kinda self-sacrificial bull crap is that?” 

You shook your head, “I dunno. But it seems like that’s just my luck. It would have been too easy for me to have weird physics defying magic like you guys. It’s… kind of fitting, actually.” You mumbled the last bit to yourself, but you could tell a few of them heard from the way they looked at you.

“WHAT ABOUT YOUR HAND?” Blue asked, leaning around Papyrus in order to stare at the fresh bandages.

“My hand?” You glanced down at is as well, and remained quiet for a second. “It was… Well, it was a kid.”

Almost immediately, three out of eight skeletons seemed to connect some kind of dots as to what had happened. They all gave you tense looks. 

“frisk?” Sans asked, to which you quickly shook your head.

“No. It was closer to Chara. Though, now that I’m looking back on it, I’m not entirely sure that they even were a kid anymore.”

Rus scoffed, “demon would be more accurate.” There was a dry humor to his claim, though you couldn’t help but feel like that assessment was pretty dead-on.

Your face scrunched up, “Wait, back up. Frisk? Why would you assume that it was Frisk?” You supposed that it could have for a few reasons, but he had sounded… weary of the kid when he asked. You weren’t very surprised when no one answered you.

“Anyways,” you continued in order to break the tense silence, “These two helped me out quite a bit with that whole… situation. We managed to get out just fine, but, uh. The universe is kind of… gone.” After another second, you could feel the reality of that set in. You had messed up  _ again _ . An entire universe disappeared just because you weren’t good enough to save it. 

You found yourself fiddling with the fur on Red’s hood as you avoided the stares of your housemates. “I’m- I’m sorry. I know I could have done more, I just-“

“DON’T DO THAT,” New Sans crossed his arms and scowled at you. “YOU LOOK LIKE A SNIVELING BABYBONES. SO STOP FEELING BAD  FOR MAKING A HARD DECISION.” 

Despite his words being meant in a helpful way, you found yourself beginning to curl inwards, your thoughts slowly taking over until you felt like you were drowning in negativity, “I made the wrong choice. How could I have been so selfish? I put myself before an entire universe! And now it gone, just like that! I could have-“

“you would have died. and then the universe would have died anyways. i dunno why you care so much about some shitty universe where everyone was already dead in the first place,” Rus pushed himself off of the wall he had been leaning against. 

You wrapped your arms around yourself and stayed quiet. 

That was when Blue took it upon himself to launch himself at you in a hug. You tumbled sideways, crashing into Stretch who had put himself next to you. The three of you fell off the edge of the table in a heap of limbs. Blue’s arms wrapped around your waist, where they firmly remained, even as you hit the floor. 

You blinked in surprise, “Blue, wha-“

All three of you were promptly lifted off of the floor by, unsurprisingly, Papyrus. You flailed a bit as your feet stopped touching the ground. 

“I THINK THAT YOU DID YOUR ABSOLUTE BEST! AND YOUR ABSOLUTE BEST IS PRETTY GREAT!” Papyrus spun you around effortlessly, though you could hear the sound of Stretch’s shoes dragging on the floor as he did. 

You chuckled and returned the hug, “Thank you guys. You’re all absolutely wonderful. I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

“i gotta tell ya, doll. i ask myself the same thing about you,” though you couldn’t see Red from in between your skeleton sandwich, you could practically hear the wink that followed that sentence. 

“OF COURSE YOU DESERVE FRIENDS AND FAMILY! YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING BUT BE YOURSELF TO DESERVE THAT!” Blue’s volume was very loud next to your ear, but you found that you didn’t care.

“YES, YES. SHE’S AMAZING, WE ALL CARE ABOUT HER, ETCETERA, ETCETERA. NOW CAN WE STOP WITH THE MUSHY HUG PILE? WE SEEM TO HAVE MORE PRESSING THINGS AT THE MOMENT.” Edge barked, gesturing to the new skeletons.

Your eyes lit up as you looked at him, “Edge. You care about me?” You gave him the cheesiest grin that you could muster, “Wow! I kinda had a feeling, but I never thought I’d hear you say it out loud! And, you think I’m amazing!” You chuckled as his cheeks flushed. 

“SHUT UP. THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT.” He crossed his arms and looked away. 

“I think you’re pretty amazing too,” you told him as you were set back onto the table. He didn’t grace you with a reply, but you took his stunned silence as a good thing, and followed his advice. 

“So, uh. Here we are, with another set of Sans and Papyrus,” you began, now addressing Rus and his brother, “If you guys want to stay here, you can feel free, but I wouldn’t stop you if you wanted to leave. You are on the surface, after all.”

While Rus seemed indifferent to that news, his brother blinked a few times in surprise. You continued before he could comment. 

“You guys can do whatever you’d like, but uh. I think you’ll need nicknames. You don’t have to use them all the time, just, y’know.” You gestured around to all of the skeletons in the room, “It gets confusing.” You gestured to the taller of the two, “I’ve already started calling you Rus in my head because I am impressively out of creativity right now, but I can call you whatever.”

He shrugged, and you took that as an okay. You then turned to his brother. The two of you stared at each other for a few moments.

“I’m not gonna lie, I got nothing,” you gave him a sheepish smile. 

He hummed and crossed his arms, glancing around at the others in the room. “FROM WHAT I’VE GATHERED, YOU SEEM TO ENJOY NICKNAMING US AFTER COLORS,” he pointed out. “YOU MAY CALL ME BLACK.”

“Oh! Okay. That sounds like a plan, then!” You smiled and nodded at his decision. 

You stood up once more, only to find yourself unsteady on your feet. You were steadied by Red’s hand finding a spot on the small of your back.

“i’m glad we have everything figured out for now, but i think it’s time you go take a break,” Sans stood up from his seat at the table and moved over to you. “why don’t you go take a nap, sweetheart? we’ve got things handled down here.”

Just the thought of sleep made you want to lay down and curl up right where you were standing. The dining room floor was nowhere near as comfy as your bed, but the thought was tempting nonetheless. Saying you were exhausted was putting it lightly, if you were being completely honest with yourself. 

And now that you were out of danger, the adrenaline had worn off, and everything hurt. 

You let out a dry chuckle, “Yeah. I think you’re right.” You began walking on unsteady legs, “See you guys next week, then.”

“DO YOU WANT ONE OF US TO HELP YOU TO YOUR ROOM?” Blue was hovering again, just close enough that his cautiously extended hands would be quick to catch you if you were to fall. 

“I’m not made of glass, Blue. I promise I can conquer stairs on my own.” You weren’t actually sure of that. You just wanted to stop burdening people, and being alone was the best way to do that.

Blue scanned your face for something, but when he saw you give a resolute nod, he backed off a bit. “WELL, IF YOU’RE SURE.”

You turned back to the doorway and steeled yourself. You took one step.

… only to be immediately swept up into yet another set of arms. You looked up at your captor and blinked in surprise. 

“YOU’RE TOO STUBBORN FOR YOUR OWN GOOD,” Edge proclaimed. 

Any complaints you may have had died on your lips as you found yourself relaxing in his arms. “Yeah... Yeah, I know.”

He scoffed and looked away from you, though you could see that the blush had returned to his cheek bones. You smiled and rested your head on his chest. 

He began heading to your room without another word to the others. Much to your surprise, he set you carefully on your bed. 

“Thank you,” you smiled up at him.

“WHATEVER,” he crossed his arms, and looked down at you for a few seconds with an expression that you couldn’t quite place. Then, he turned on his heel and left, closing your door behind him. Your smile slowly faded as you stared at the closed door. 

You slowly fell into sleep, where your troubled thoughts were free to run rampant. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for a well deserved nap. 
> 
> Also: the next update of this story will be a bit... special. ;)


	46. Scenes From A Hat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!
> 
> This chapter is going to be a little bit different. Instead of going forwards, we’re going backwards.
> 
> That’s right, this is a collection of scenes from previous chapters rewritten in the POV of different characters. If that’s not really your thing, that’s okay! You can feel free to skip it! This chapter won’t affect the usual update days (or the plot, really. I just thought it’d be interesting)!!

Brotherly Worry- Chapters 6-7

* * *

Sans had been pacing for nearly thirty minutes in the living room of an almost perfect stranger. One question kept circulating through his head over, and over,  _ and over _ . Where was his brother?

Or, more accurately, where were you with his brother? His concern only continued to run rampant since he had stopped by Undyne’s house in order to pick him up. Undyne had said that you came to get him, but that was more than a two hours ago! There was no way that it took you that long to drive back to your home. 

What if something bad happened? What if  _ you  _ did something bad? He knew he couldn’t trust some random human! And if he finds out that something bad happened to Papyrus? Well, you were going to be in for a bad time.

He had been so lost in his thoughts that he must not have heard the sound of a car engine. Sans did, however, hear the sound of the garage door closing. He heard the sound of a muffled conversation between his brother and the human as the two of them walked closer. 

Sans took a shortcut to the stairs, only to catch the tail end of what you were saying. 

“Maybe you should tell Sans in the morning. It’s like one in the morning. He’s probably asleep.” You had a carefree smile on your face that dropped only slightly when you turned to the stairs. 

“tell me what?” Sans could feel himself getting more and more riled up. He didn’t let you answer as he continued, “do you have any idea what time it is? where have you two been?”

“We-“ you began, only for him to quickly continue. He didn’t care what bullshit excuse you had. You needed to know that you’d made a mistake, and if he had any say in it, you would not be doing it again. 

“i know i was late to undyne’s, but only by like, a half hour. when i showed up at her house, you know what she said? she said you came to pick pap up.” His posture shifted to be more hostile, and he moved closer to you. “So, i came home and waited. and waited. and waited.” At this point, he was very much in your personal space. He pointed a finger at you in accusation. “you had him out god knows where. and i had no idea where he was. he could’ve been hurt, or...or worse!” a brief image of one of the genocide timelines flashed in his mind, but he shook it off before it could hinder his rant. “i warned you. i don’t know what you’re up to, but know that i don’t trust you. and if you continue the way you are, well-” 

  
“BROTHER!” Papyrus had grabbed Sans by the shoulders and lifted him away from you. “YOU ARE BEING COMPLETELY UNREASONABLE! SHE HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT HOSPITABLE THIS ENTIRE TIME! BESIDES, IT WAS YOU WHO WASN’T ANSWERING OUR PHONE!” Sans bashfully looked at the floor.   
was he really trying to put the blame on him? There was absolutely no reason that they should have been out for so long.    


“i know, i left it at grilbz. but she-”   
  
He pulled his brother up to be eye level with him. “SHE TOOK ME OUT DRIVING. IN HER CONVERTIBLE. IN HER RED CONVERTIBLE.” When he stressed that, Sans found himself putting the pieces together. A red convertible, just like Paps had always dreamed of driving. He still couldn’t seem to shake his frustration with you despite that, though. “IT WAS MY FAULT WE WERE OUT LATE. IT IS ALSO MY FAULT SHE CAME TO GET ME IN THE FIRST PLACE. I CALLED HER TO GET ME WHEN YOU DIDN’T ANSWER.” Sans was still glaring over at you when his brother shook him lightly to bring his attention back. “SANS. YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE OLDER BROTHER. YOU ARE ACTING LIKE A CHILD.” He gently put sans down. He turned back to you with a tight smile on his face. Sans watched as you took a deep breath and straightened yourself out.

“Look, i’m sorry I made you nervous. I didn’t mean to do that.” You hugged your arms around yourself before rushing upstairs without waiting for a reply.a ‘goodnight’ echoed down the upstairs hallway as you dashed off to your room. 

Sans found himself staring up the stairs, where you had just disappeared to. That reply… hadn’t been what he was expecting. You had sounded upsettingly resigned and broken. He fought down a wave of guilt. 

Papyrus sighed and followed you up the stairs without another word. 

Sans didn’t know what to do. 

As time passed, Sans continued to find himself firmly planted on the fence about you. Sure, you hadn’t done anything outwardly hostile. In fact, you seemed very nice. But Sans still didn’t trust you. You were different, and that scared him. He still had yet to successfully check you, and that only made his weariness increase tenfold. What if you had LV?

And what was all of this about you getting fired from your job? You had told him that it was because your boss had turned away a monster, and you had fought him on it, but he wasn’t so sure that was it. Everything about you seemed to set off warning bells in his head, and he couldn’t for the life of him figure out  _ why. _

And now, you were coming along with him and his brother to meet the rest of the family. 

In fact, a quick glance out the car window told him that you were already interacting with Undyne. He watched in brief amusement as she hit you over the back, nearly knocking you off your feet. Despite that, a smile remained on your face. You followed her and Papyrus into the house. Sans waited a few seconds before following. 

He appeared just as Frisk tacked your legs in a hug. You knew the kid. How did you…?

“How do you know each other?” Undyne voiced his unspoken question. 

Frisk looked up at ther with a grin and began signing, ‘ _ She’s the one I told you about! Remember? _

What? What was that supposed to mean? Undyne seemed to understand, though, as a spark of realization flashed in her eyes.    


“So you’re the kid’s soon-to-be dance teacher that they won’t shut up about.” She grinned the usual shark-toothed smile. You blushed slightly at the sudden attention, and the kid gave a big affirmative nod.   
  
“I- uh. I suppose I am.” Obviously a bit nervous, you began gravitating towards Sans and Papyrus.   
  
“YOU’RE GOING TO TEACH FRISK TO DANCE?” Papyrus seemed very excited about that, much to Sans’ chagrin. Great. He would have two dangerous humans in the house.  

“I’m gonna try my best.” You sounded determined. He wasn’t particularly fond of that.    
  
“THAT’S WONDERFUL! YOU ARE A GREAT TEACHER! NOT THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL EVER NEED A TEACHER! NYEH-HE-HE!” As his brother monologued, Sans found himself staring intently at you. When you glanced in his direction, though, he found himself jerking his attention away as if he hadn’t been caught red handed. 

“What anime is she from?” Sans was glad to hear that you had shifted your attention to Alphys.    
  
“I-it’s fr-fr-from an anime-“ Sans tuned out of the conversation as you and Alphys began talking about the shows that Alphys liked to watch. He found staring at you to be much more interesting. The longer he was around you, the more questions seemed to add themselves to the list. How did you know Frisk? You very obviously hadn’t met Alphys before tonight, and you hadn’t ever mentioned anything about the kid to him. 

That was when Tori decided to show up.  “I apologize for taking so long! I wanted to get the pie in the oven so that it would be cool enough to eat with lunch.” Everyone’s attention turned to her as she entered the living room. Sans watched curiously as she seemed to recognize you, as well. 

“(Y/N)! I did not know that you were the human that Sans and Papyrus lived with! What a pleasant surprise!” She walked over to the group. “I would like to thank you again for what you did for me and Frisk.” Said kid leaned over the armrest on Sans’ side and gave you a grin with two thumbs up. You smiled and rubbed the back of your head.   
  
“No problem. I’d do it again if I was given the chance.” Sans looked from you to the kid, finally making the connection. Frisk and Tori were the reason that you lost your job. You decided that keeping complete strangers out of harm's way was more important than your job. He found himself giving you a nod of appreciation, which you grinned at. 

“pie would like to thank you for lettin’ us over, tori.” He was glad to get a reaction of of both you and Tori.

“I only did it bake-cause I wanted company.” There were two distinct groans in the room, very obviously from Papyrus and Undyne.    
  
You grinned and cleared your throat, “Are you saying that you would have  _ desserted _ us if you didn’t want company?” Sans was pleasantly surprised when you joined in. He gave you a mischievous smirk as you hid your laughter behind a hand. 

...Maybe he would give you a chance. 

  
  
  


Behind the Door- Chapter 23

* * *

 

Papyrus (Later called Stretch, though at this point in time, the nickname had never occurred to him) found himself lounging on the couch after waking up in Snowdin. Again. He was resigned to wallow in his pity for the morning. He knew that Sans would be upset with him, but he would make it up to his brother. 

_ Knock. Knock.  _

Papyrus raised a brow at the sound that came from his door. That was new. Maybe it was the kid. He waited for a second, but was confused when there was no follow up. 

He supposed that he could take it into his own hands. Whoever it was had given them the perfect set up, anyways. 

“who’s there?”

“Snow.” Papyrus was confused. That wasn’t a voice that he recognized. 

“snow who?” He played along with the voice.

“Snow use leaving me out in the cold.” He was wrecking his brain trying to put a face to the voice behind the door. Well, he supposed that there was only one way to find out. He chuckled.

“good one. but, i gotta say, i don’t think i recognize your voice.” He quickly unlocked the door, only to stare at the human in shock.   
  
“oh.” There was a human at his door, “you’re a human.” Somehow, you seemed to be just as surprised as he was.

“I mean, last I checked. You are… not what I was expecting.” Expecting? What… were you looking for Sans?   
  
“expecting? who were you expecting?” He watched as you seemed to have an internal battle with yourself. Finally, you gave him an uncomfortable shrug.    
  
“Not you, that’s for sure. I was actually looking for another skeleton.” Papyrus found himself trying to check you, only to find that he couldn’t. What the hell? What was going on?

“He’s about my height? Has a sorta… deeper voice? I’m in the right place, yeah?” There was no way he was about to let you anywhere near his brother. 

“no.” In fact, he didn’t want anything to do with you, either.    
  
“Wait, I-“ And he shut the door on you. He stood just on the other side of the door as you knocked once more. He didn’t try to open it. Why should he?   
  
He heard you sigh and shift, “Alright, look. I know that I’m not really supposed to be here, but I need your help.” There was a pause where you waited for him to answer, which he was decidedly not going to do. 

“Please,” Papyrus heard you lean against the door as your voice got quieter. “I know that you don’t know me, but please.” He let another stretch of silence go on before you continued to plead with him.    
  
“I can’t do this alone.” Your voice came out soft. Do what alone? There were very few things that Papyrus knew of that would make someone take on that tone of voice. He found himself unable to move away from the door as he heard your footsteps begin to fade away. 

As soon as your steps were out of earshot, papyrus pulled open the door and looked around. You had disappeared somewhere in the forests around Snowdin. He stepped out and looked down to see your footprints trailing off towards where his brother, Alphys, and the kid were patrolling. 

He decided that it would be best to keep an eye on you.

  
  
  


Yikes: the Ballad of Bad Flirting - Chapter 32

* * *

  
  


Red glanced around the room as you ran off to answer the door. The room was quiet as everyone in the living room seemed to be doing the same thing. 

You… wanted him around. You wanted him to stay. He rested a hand over his sternum, and by extension, where his soul sat. You didn’t care that he was crude, and you didn’t think he was horrible for his past.

It felt… nice. He could get used to being cared about by someone other than his brother. 

He, and the whole room with him, were pulled from their thoughts by a muffled conversation coming from the other room. That didn’t sound like Toriel. In fact, whoever it was sounded very unfamiliar. 

Naturally, everyone moved over to the doorway in order to eavesdrop.

“Yes, I heard. But, roommates are temporary, and you obviously aren’t in any relationships. I don’t think you’ll ever settle down with someone.” The voice claimed, very sure in what they were saying. Was that true? Were you really not one to settle down?Red supposed that he didn’t know you as well as he should have. “You’ll have to take that up to a room for me. I don’t know which ones are free.” No, maybe this lady, whoever she wa, didn’t know you as well as she seemed to.    
  
“who’s this?” Stretch drew attention to the group before anyone could stop him.   
  
The woman glanced between you and the group of skeletons before she grinned, “I’m her sister! Older, of course.”   
  
There were dramatic gasps from both Papyrus and Blue, and both of them rushed into the room.   
  
Blue reached out a hand to her, “MISS (Y/N)! I HAD NO IDEA THAT YOU HAD A SISTER! IT’S NICE TO MEET YOU! MY NAME IS BLUEBERRY!” She took his hand with little hesitation.   
  
“My name is Lilith. I’m surprised (Y/N) doesn't talk about me all the time. We used to be the best of friends.” Something told Red she wasn’t being entirely truthful.   
  
“WELL, I FOR ONE AM GLAD TO MEET THE HUMAN’S FAMILY!” Papyrus held out a hand as well. Red noticed that you were getting more and more uncomfortable with… whatever was happening.    
  
Red decided to remedy that situation by dropping an arm over your shoulders, “y’ seem a bit uncomfortable.” He made sure to keep quiet.   
  
You looked back at your sister, “later,” you promised.   
  
Red watched curiously as Lilith stopped talking, and instead eyed you for a second. She wasted no time in leaving Blue and Papyrus in favor of you and Red.

“I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure.” She held up her hand, “Lilith.”   
  
He raised a brow bone and stared at her outstretched hand. He made no move to take it.   
  
“red.” He stated.   
  
She batted her eyelashes, much to Red’s confusion, “Red, huh? I like it. It suits you.”   
  
You unwrapped yourself from him and gave his wrist a pat as you dropped his arm. He gave you a concerned look as you sighed in resignation and began heading towards the living room.   
  
You were stopped by Sans, “did you invite her to stay?”   
  
“We’re family! Of course I can stay!” Your sister crossed her arms, but her smile remained.In that moment, Red decided that he didn’t really like your sister.

“i wasn’t asking you. (y/n) can speak for herself.” Sans used the same tone of voice that Red likely would have. It was short, and they were both very obviously getting frustrated with her.   
  
“I, uh. No. I didn’t even know she was going to be here.” You answered. There was a moment when you seemed to have a debate with yourself.  “She can stay for dinner,” You decided, stressing the word dinner.   
  
“Oh, but I was prepared to stay longer! I even took time off of work!” She gestured to her suitcase. “I drove all the way here to see you, and you only want me here a couple of hours?”   
  
“Sorry, but I wasn’t prepared for guests. So yeah, you can stay for dinner, but then you need to go.”   
  
She huffed and shook her head, “you’re being unreasonable, but fine.”   
  
You nodded and left for the the kitchen without another word. Nobody followed you immediately, but Red could tell that a few of them wanted to, him included. 

Instead, he was being blocked off by Lilith, who was giving him what she probably assumed to be a cute smile.  “So how long have you and my sister been a thing?” She asked slyly. 

“a thing? we aren’t… a thing.” He didn’t like the uncomfortable feeling he got when he said that. You and him weren’t ‘a thing’. But, would that really be so bad?

“Oh?” She enquirer, leaning a bit closer to him than he was comfortable with. And, coming from him, that was quite the feat. “Well that’s good.”

Red took a step back, “yeah? why’s that?”

“Because I think you’re just my type,” she gave him a playful wink.

He tensed up, before forcing himself to relax, “right. thanks, i think. ‘m not interested, though.”

She frowned and batted her eyelashes at him, “Aw! But why not? What would it hurt to give me a chance?”

Red looked to the others in a silent plea for help, only to be ignored as everyone ‘noped’ there way right out of the situation. Traitors.

“well, it’d hurt my pride for one thing.”

She laughed. It was a fake laugh, but she laughed nonetheless, “Oh! You’re funny, too! I might have to stay around now that I know my sister’s been hiding you here.” She rested a hand on his shoulder. 

“i don’t think you should do that.”

“I see. You want to keep me all to yourself, then?” She purred, and he could not step away fast enough.

“wow, that is not at all what i meant, lady.” Red usually didn’t mind flirting. In fact, he was usually the one that initiated it. But, something about her just rubbed him the wrong way. 

Actually, he knew exactly what it was. Everything about her screamed ‘fake’. From her smile, to her poor attempts at flirting, to her happy attitude. She was someone who would throw you under a bus without a moment of hesitation. Red didn’t know why she was here, but he knew that her intentions were not good. 

“can i give you some advice, lady?” He asked, looking her over with dimmed eyelights.

She nodded and smiled at him, “You can give me whatever you’d like.”

“stop while you’re ahead. whatever you’re hoping to gain from this isn’t going to happen.” 

Her act dropped for barley a second before it came back with a vengeance, “You’re wrong. The only thing I have to gain from being here,” she stepped closer once more and smirked playfully at him, “is you.”

And, Red had enough of that. He disappeared before she could touch him again. He went to the kitchen, and ended up right in front of you. When you caught sight of his expression, you blinked at him in surprise.   
  
“what the hell is with her?” He nervously glanced back towards the doorway.   
  
“You might have to be more specific?” You tilted your head in question.   
  
“your damn sister won’t leave me the hell alone.” He began gesturing wildly, “she’s relentless! least i know when to stop.”   
  
You scowled, “She’s flirting with you?” Flirting was putting it lightly if you asked him.    
  
he watched as a torrent of different emotions crossed your expression, until finally, it settled into rage, “Don’t burn anything.” You handed him the pan you had been holding. 

He took it in confusion, “wh- uh. alright.”   
  
You brushed past him and back into the room where your sister sat with the other skeletons.

Red and Sans both watched on in confusion as you sent Blue and Papyrus back into the kitchen. It may have been under the pretense of helping with cooking, but Red could already tell that cooking was the last thing that they would be doing.    
  


“I told you that you were staying for dinner. I’m not going back on that, but after we eat? You are going to leave.” Thank the stars for that. Red wasn’t sure how much more he could handle.    
  
There was a second of silence as Lilith processed that. “Wha- I... You can’t do that! I’m your sister! I can stay in your house if I want to! It’s not like you don’t have enough space!”

“Space isn’t the issue. The issue is you.” He could hear the venom in your voice as you argued with her. 

She sniffled, “you’re just going to leave me out on my own? How could you?! I love you, and this is how you treat me?!”   
  
“Don’t you dare. Say that to me if you don’t mean it.”Red couldn’t help it. He peeked into the room, only to see that your rage had grown into a quiet seething. “Love isn’t what you feel, and we both know it.”   
  
“I’m your family, and you’re calling me a liar?!” Red watched as your sisters act began to crack.

“Stop dangling ‘family’ and ‘sister’ above my head, because you aren’t! You never cared about me!” He had never heard you so upset before. He had to stop Blue and Papyrus from rushing out of the kitchen, even though he wanted to do the exact same. 

He looked back to them and shook his head, “give her a second. i think this is something that she needs to do.” Red made sure that his voice was low enough to be heard only by the group in the kitchen.

“Of course I didn’t! Why the hell would anybody love you?!” The air shifted with magic as soon as your sister had said that. Red was about ready to give her a bad time. How dare she hurt you?! 

“Then why are you even here?! Why can't you just leave me alone ?” When he heard your voice crack, he had to be held back by Sans. 

Red’s vision went dark as he tuned out the rest of the conversation. If he heard anymore, he was certain that he would do something that he would regret. As it was, Sans was barely keeping him back, obviously considering letting him chase her off. It wasn’t until Stretch stepped between the two of you that Red let himself pay attention once more. 

“i think that’s enough.” He sounded about as angry as Red felt.   
  
Even Red’s brother seemed to be pissed off about it.Edge stepped forward, effectively standing over your sister.    
  
“I BELIEVE THAT (Y/N) HAS LIED TO YOU. I AM AFRAID YOU WILL NOT BE STAYING FOR DINNER.” He gestured to the door, “LEAVE IMMEDIATELY.” Good riddance.

Red watched as she seemed to asses the situation. After glancing between Stretch and Edge, she must have decided that it was a losing battle.    
  
She scowled and pushed past you, “Fine. I’ll go.” She turned back and gave you a pointed look, “but know that you’ll regret this.” She left the room.   
  
Everyone waited in tense silence for a few seconds until you heard the front door slam shut. A sigh escaped you as you collapsed onto the couch and buried your head in your hands.

“you okay?” Stretch sat next to you on the couch, looking you over in concern. 

“That Seemed Very… Not Pleasant.” You glanced up to see Papyrus looking down at you from the other side of the couch.   
  
You groaned and dropped your head again, “How much of that did you hear?” Your voice was muffled.   
  
“All Of It.” And there went their cover.   
  
“I WANTED TO STEP IN, BUT RED AND SANS BOTH SAID THAT WOULD BE A BAD IDEA…” Blue added.   
  
Red nodded and fell onto the couch next to you and Stretch. “we figured it was somethin’ you needed to do on your own.”   
  
You fiddled with your hands slightly as you thought. “Yeah.” You pulled your knees up to your chest. “Yeah. I guess I did.” Red looked at you with concern. How long had you been dealing with that?   
  
You took a deep breath, “I thought I escaped my past a long time ago, but obviously, I was wrong. If you guys are really planning on staying, then I think we need to have a talk.”   
  
“you sure, kid? last time i asked, you didn’t seem to want to talk about it at all.” Sans recalled as he took a spot on the couch, as well.   
  
Red’s concern only grew as you seemed to have a battle with yourself. He knew what bad pasts were like, and he understood how hard talking about it could be. He didn’t want to force you, though he would be lying if he said that he wasn’t curious.    
  
“Yeah. I’m sure. But you guys might want to find a seat. This could take a while.” For you, he didn’t think that he minded. 

  
  


Karmic Retribution- Chapter 44-45

* * *

As soon as the human woman and the Skeletons disappeared, the blue bone that held Frisk in place went away with them. They fell forward onto their knees in the snow. With a small frustrated scream, they slammed their fists into the ground. 

How dare they?! Something new and interesting finally,  _ finally  _ happened, and now they decided that they wanted to do something about it?! Papyrus hadn’t lifted a finger against them in such a long time, and suddenly he wants to play hero? Needless to say, Frisk was beyond livid. 

After giving in to a childish tantrum for a few more seconds, their scowl slowly shifted into a deranged smile. 

How stupid could they be? They could just load! They could load back to before they had come across Sans, Papyrus, and the new human. They weren’t about to let you escape that easily. 

So, they focused on the feeling in their soul. 

Determination.

They waited for a few seconds before opening their eyes. It was odd. They didn’t remember saving in Snowdin. In fact, they were quite certain that the last time they saved was in Waterfall. And yet, they found themselves standing in the exact spot that they had been before the load.

It hadn’t worked. The thought hit them like a ton of bricks. What if they were stuck here? 

No. There was no way that human,  _ that anomaly,  _ was right. They were in control of the timeline, and she was  _ not _ ! They had to have just done something wrong. 

With a deep breath, Chara closed their eyes tightly and concentrated once more. They felt a wave of determination wash over them. It was swiftly followed by panic once they opened their eyes to see that nothing had changed.

What was happening? Why wasn’t that working?!

Okay, well if they couldn’t load, then maybe they would just have to reset. It would be a shame to do so and loose the new human, but it would be better than not being able to load. 

… What?

Where was the reset button?! They pulled their hands up to their head and tangled them in their hair. There was no way that this was really happening to them. What had they done to deserve  _ this?  _

A presence that they hadn’t felt in a long time pushed at their consciousness. They were momentarily overwhelmed with emotions as the real owner of the body they were inhabiting seemed to fight them. Grief. Regret.

No, they didn’t want those. That snotty pacifist could have them back. This wasn’t their story anymore. It never really was. 

The feeling faded as quickly as it had come. Good. The kid had been buried deep for a long time, and the current occupant of Chara‘s body would prefer that it stayed that way.

After all, they had bigger problems than the stolen soul right now. 

If the lady was right, then what could they do? She had said that the entire underground was going to disappear. She had said that she was the only one that could stop it. So, they decided, they would find the anomaly one force her to fix it whether she liked it or not. Then, they could have their fun with the anomaly. 

Chara’s gaze moved to the skeleton brother’s house. They were almost certain that the skeletons would have gone there if they were looking to escape on short notice. And they knew the exact spot, too. 

Chara had only seen the lab under the house once, and it wasn’t even on purpose. After they knew about it, though, they found that it was always locked without fail. It seemed like the best place to hide someone you were trying to keep safe.

They scoffed at that. Safe. As if.

They glanced around, only to freeze at what they saw. It was white. Empty, as if someone had taken everything and erased it. 

It wasn’t often that they were filled with dread. This, however, was one of those few and far between times. Something about it filled them with absolute dread. 

They tore their eyes from the nothingness and headed towards the lab door. Everything seemed perfectly still and silent. For once, that made them uncomfortable. They waited a few seconds, leaning closer to the door in an attempt to listen in.

There was no noise. The knock on the heavy-duty metal door seemed to cut through the silence like a knife that they no longer had. They would need to fix that once one of them opened the door.

… But nobody came. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually cannot believe that it’s been an entire year since I started this story! It’s been such a journey, and I feel like I’ve grown so much as a writer since I decided to start this project. I know I still have a long way to go, but, still!!
> 
> Thank you all so, so, very much for reading this! I appriciate each and every one of you, and all the nice words you always seem to have for the chapters no matter if I liked them or not!! I hope I can continue to write stuff that you guys enjoy!!


	47. Let’s Talk About Souls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and the boys have a bit of a heart-to-heart.

After what felt like an eternity, you began to regain your consciousness. The tired ache in your eyes remained as you blinked them open. When your vision came into focus, you were surprised to see that your room was fully lit by the afternoon sun. 

How long had you been asleep for? It hadn’t felt like a very long time, but then again, you were asleep. It could have been an entire week for all you knew. You were certainly hungry enough for that to have been the case. Maybe breakfast… lunch… dinner? Food. Food was in order.

With that thought, you hauled yourself out of bed and began your zombie walk downstairs. The house was quiet. It didn’t register how odd that was until you were halfway down the second set of steps. The realization caused you to stop and look around in confusion. 

Where was everybody? You cautiously continued downstairs and to the kitchen. It was empty. 

Your face scrunched up as you glanced around. “Hello? Is anybody home?” You called out into the empty space.

There was a long moment where the silence continued. A muffled thud echoed form somewhere in the house. 

“Wha-“ you looked around once more in confusion before wandering into the living room. It was just as empty and quiet as you had expected it to be.

Your eyes eventually found the door to the basement on the far side of the room. The noise had kind of sounded like it came from below you, but what would they be doing in your basement? You began towards the door.

“Miss (Y/N)?” A voice came from the doorway you had just been in.

You quickly spun around to see Papyrus looking at you curiously. “There you are! I was starting to get worried.”

Papyrus stared at you for a second, his concern turning into worry, “I”m Very Glad To See That You Are Awake, But I Believe That Something Is Wrong.” Papyrus nervously fiddled with his gloves as he spoke, and his gaze never left the center of your chest.

“Uh, okay?” You glanced around once more, “Where is everyone, Pap?”

He glanced at the door to the basement, “STRETCH TOOK OUR GUESTS TO VISIT THE KING. THEY NEEDED PAPERWORK. SANS, BLUE, RED, AND EDGE ARE ALL IN THE LAB.” He explained, thankfully back to his usual volume. 

You nodded slowly. Okay, that made sense. Rus and Black would need that if they were staying. It was only a matter of time before they-

-Wait. Lab? What lab?

“Uh,” You gave papyrus a confused look, “What lab?”

“THAT ONE, OF COURSE!” He gestured to the door behind you.

“But Paps, That’s just my-“ you were interrupted when he grabbed your arm and began tugging you downstairs. 

“COME ALONG! I’M SURE EVERYONE WILL WANT TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE AWAKE!” His volume lowed once more as he glanced back at you, “They Should Also Be Alerted About What Is Happening.”

What is happening? You had absolutely no clue, and seemed to be getting more and more confused the more Papyrus talked.

When you were pulled into the ‘lab’, you were quite shocked to see that there was, in fact, an entire laboratory built underneath your house. You barely noticed the skeletons in the room as your eyes scanned over the equipment-lined tables. 

“Wh-“ you stuttered out in you confusion, “Uh, I’m not-“

Your attention snapped to the blue clad skeleton. The one that was refusing to meet your gaze, “Sans, what? Why?”

“YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE LAB?” This time, it was Blue that addressed you.

“obviously she didn’t,” Red answered, “she wouldn’t be standin’ there like a fish outta water if she had.”

You shook your head, “I, uh, no. This is all kind of a surprise to me.”

Sans winced, “look, i’m sorry. i know i should’ve talked to you about all of,” he gestured around, “this.”

You took in a deep breath and pinched the bridge of your nose, “You know what? It’s fine. It’s okay. I wasn’t using the basement anyways.” You weren’t sure if you were trying to convince him or yourself. “Just promise me you won’t blow my house up, yeah?”

“okay, okay. i’ll do my best.” You had a feeling that was the most you were going to get out of him. 

“Sure. Fine. That’s fine.” You sighed and dropped your hand back to your side, “Now does anyone want to tell me  _ why  _ exactly we’re all down here in the basement lab?”

“WE’RE HERE BECAUSE OF YOU.” Wait to sound strangely ominous, Edge.

“WE’RE GLAD YOU’RE AWAKE, BY THE WAY!” Blue interjected.

“Uh. Thanks? I think?” Everything was suddenly very confusing. 

“I’M A BIT CONCERNED ABOUT HER SOUL STILL.” Papyrus glanced at your chest, “IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE IT HEALED THE WAY IT’S SUPPOSED TO WHEN YOU SLEEP.”

Much to your discomfort, all eyes fell on the same spot Papyrus had just been looking. You felt like you were being analyzed by them for a second, before Red let out a curse.

“it doesn't look like she did much healin’ at all,” He pointed out. 

Red reached a hand into his pocket and rustled around for a second before pulling something out. He tossed it to you, and you had to lean a bit to be able to catch it. You fumbled before looking down at it. It looked like a small hard candy wrapped up in cellophane. 

“eat it. it’s supposed to help ya heal,” Red explained before his gaze went back to your soul. 

You gave him an odd look, but decided that it would be silly to argue with him over something so small. You popped the candy in your mouth to find that it had a distinct non-licorice flavor. After a second, you bit down with a loud crunch.

…You didn’t feel any different. “What was the supposed to do?”

You watched as Sans mad a small humming noise before pulling a notebook off of one of the tables. He wasted no time in scribbling something down. 

“Oh Dear,” Papyrus fretted once more.

“Oh dear what? I don’t like ‘oh dear’.” You shifted uncomfortably. 

“IT DIDN’T DO ANYTHING.” Edge pointed out before crossing his arms.

“Has anyone told you guys that you are absolutely terrible at explaining things? Because you are. Just thought you should know that,” you glanced around at the skeletons in the room. 

Sans let out a sigh and pulled out the chair next to him. You sat without much thought, and waited until he started speaking. 

“your soul is damaged from whatever you did in the other universe, and it hasn’t healed a whole lot since you got home.” He began.

“Was it supposed to?” Your hand went up to rest above where your soul sat. 

“USUALLY, SLEEPING HEALS YOU ABOVE YOUR MAXIMUM HP!” Blue piped in, clarifying how odd it was that it was still damaged. 

“right,” Sans agreed, “when you got back, not only could all of us suddenly read your stats, but we noticed that your hp, or hope, if you will, was way lower than your maximum. it does look like it’s gone up a little bit since then, but not a whole lot.”

“we think it might be ‘cause of your magic.” Red leaned into the conversation as well, “we were told that you gave hp to rus, which i believe after seein’ how high his was. that was really dumb of ya, by the way. you didn’t even know ya had magic.”

You frowned, “Well I wasn’t just going to let him die!”

Red put his hands up in a placating way, “i know, doll. that’s why we gotta teach you about it.”

You blinked up at him. They were willing to do that? Even after everything mages had put them through? You had figured that they wouldn’t want anything to do with human magic. But, you had been wrong about them before. 

“You guys… are really willing to do that for me?” You couldn’t help the surprise in your voice.

“OF COURSE WE ARE! WE CAN’T HAVE YOU FLOUNDERING YOUR MAGIC ABOUT ALL WILLY-NILLY!” Edge snapped at you. 

You smiled over at him, “I see. Well thank you.” You looked at all of the others, “Really. All of you. Thank you guys.”

You watched in mild amusement as their faces lit up in blushes at your sincerity. Edge scoffed and looked away from you, which only made your grin grow. 

“So, where do we start?” You asked, suddenly very enthusiastic at the thought of the guys helping you learn magic.

“settle down, there. first we gotta do all the boring technical stuff.” Sans turned back to his notebook. You peeked around him to see that his handwriting was complete illegible chicken scratch. “we’ve gotta find out what your core trait is. or, traits.”

“Traits?” You asked, still trying to decipher what was scrawled in the book.

“yeah, traits. adults usually have two or three. it’s rare for an adult to have a single main trait.” You nodded along with his explanation. That made sense. Adults had a lot more life experience, you supposed. 

“Okay. How do we do that?” At your question, he looked a bit more nervous. 

“i can get a lot of information without having to see your soul, but, uh, the traits are something that you gotta see.” He rubbed at the back of his skull sheepishly.

It took you a few seconds to understand what he meant. It was your turn for your face to heat up into a blush as you mumbled out a soft, “oh.”

You knew how private souls were to monsters. Even more so when they weren’t pulled out in what you recalled Sans calling an encounter (or accidentally, in your case). This would be a whole new ball game, though. He was asking you to explicitly entrust one of them with your entire being. Admittedly, you were starting to understand exactly  _ why  _ souls were so taboo.

With a quick glance around the room, you realized that you trusted them. They were without a doubt the closest thing you’ve ever had to a real family. Of course you trusted them, even with something like this. 

You gave Sans a nod, “Okay.”

“okay?” He parroted back to you in the form of a question.

“Okay,” you confirmed, “I trust you guys. Of course I’m okay with it.”

Sans’ smile fell into something more sincere as you told him that. He nodded softly before standing up. He patted the table, and you quickly moved to pull yourself onto it. He reached a hand out to you, only to stop himself and pull his hand back.

“does it matter who pulls it out?” He asked, looking slightly uncomfortable and very nervous. When you shook your head, he took a second to steel himself once more.

That seemed to be all the time that Red needed to butt in, “i can do it then.” 

Sans looked surprised as he was unceremoniously shoved out of the way, “what? why would  _ you  _ be the one?” 

“tell me, exactly how many souls have you pulled out other than the brat’s? I obviously have more experience in this kinda thing.” Red boasted.

“IF WE ARE GOING BY EXPERIENCE, THEN OBVIOUSLY I AM THE BEST SUITED FOR THE JOB,” Edge pitched in. You held back an exasperated sigh, already knowing that this would be going downhill very quickly.

“WELL, IT ISN’T JUST ABOUT HOW MANY TIMES YOU’VE PULLED A SOUL OUT,” Papyrus joined in, much to your surprise, “IT’S ALSO ABOUT TRUST! AND, WELL, I HAVE KNOWN HER THE LONGEST!”

“pap, i’ve known her just as long as you have,” Sans pointed out.

“THAT IS TRUE! BUT HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO TRUST HER?” You watched the back and forth with only mild interest.

“ARE YOU INSINUATING THAT SHE DOES NOT TRUST ME?!” Edge crossed his arms and glared at Papyrus. 

You decided to tune it out there, mostly because everyone began trying to talk over themselves at that point. You let out a small sigh and began fiddling with the hem of your shirt. 

Your attention was brought to Blue as he sat on the table next to you. He gave you a gentle smile, “Are You Okay?”

You nodded, “Yeah. I already know how prone to arguments you guys are. I think you guys are just too much alike in a lot of ways.”

He nodded along with you assessment, “I Think You Might Be Right.” After a second, he glanced back at the argument, “Do You Have A Preference?”

You shook your head, “No, but if they keep arguing like that, I might just pull my own soul out.”

Blue chuckled, only to stop midway through and look back at you, “That’s Actually A Pretty Good Idea.” He turned so that he was fully facing you, pulling his legs underneath him. “I Can Teach You, If You Want.”

You turned around as well, criss crossing your legs as you did. You gave him a nod. His grin widened at that, and the lights in his eyes seemed to sparkle.

“Alright,” he rested a hand on his sternum, “Summoning A Soul Comes Naturally To Monsters, So I Might Have A Bit Of Trouble Explaining.” 

You placed your hand on your chest, as well. “That’s okay.”

“It’s Very Much A Mental Thing. Sure, Having A Physical Movement Helps, But You Have To Call It Out With Your Magic. You Want Your Soul To Physically Manifest Itself Outside Of You. Focus On What You Want.”

You took a deep breath and closed your eyes. You tried your best to focus, but you weren’t quite sure what you were looking for. A feeling? Some kind of strange magic power? Were you just trying to fit all of yourself into a tiny little heart shape?

“You’re Thinking About It Too Much. Just Feel,” Blue must have noticed your struggle. 

You nodded. You had summoned souls before, hadn’t you? Even if it had been accidental, you had done it with Tango and Remix. You could do it again. 

You concentrated once more, this time on an unknown feeling that coursed through you. You hadn’t noticed the room getting quiet, but you had noticed the strange shift in the air. You changed you focus to that. 

A sharp tug in your chest alerted you to something happening. You didn’t feel any different, though, so what-

“wow, uh. that sure is… something.” You blinked open your eyes in surprise and turned to the voice. Suddenly, the shifting made sense. Stretch awkwardly stood near the center of the room, an upside-down heart floating in front of him. An orange hue tinted his cheeks as he stared at it in bewilderment. 

“Oh shit! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to- well I meant to pull a soul out, but obviously that was the wrong- oh geez. I’m sorry.” You looked away from him.

“it’s, uh-“ he stopped talking for a second. “i can’t put it back.”

“I know! I’m so sorry! I don’t know how to put it back! But, last time, they just went back on their own!” 

“LAST TIME?” Blue was back to his normal volume. 

“Yeah, last time. I- this happened before, too. I did it by accident when I was in the other universe, and I-“

“calm down, sweetheart. nobody’s mad at you. you can’t fix anything if you keep freaking out like that.” Sans made his way over to you. “you were trying to pull your own soul out, but that probably should be done where there’s a lot less things getting in your way, okay?”

You nodded and took a breath. He was right. You needed to calm down. Nobody was hurt, and everything would be okay. 

“HOW DID YOU DO THAT?” Papyrus asked, glancing between you and Stretch.

“I think… I think that happened because I felt his shortcut. I wasn’t entirely sure what it was though, so I kind of focused on that.”

“it felt really strange. it wasn’t like she was pulling me into an encounter.” Stretch added, pulling his souls to him and cradling it. 

Sans sighed, “okay. maybe that’s enough for now. we can get back to this later.”

“I CAN GO START DINNER?” Papyrus offered. When you nodded, he rushed back upstairs. 

You looked back at Stretch, who was thoughtfully looking down at his soul. As if hit by a sudden realization, his attention snapped to you, “you aren’t in any danger, you know.”

You gave him a funny look, “Yes? I know that.”

“then why are you still calling out for help?” He asked.

“I don’t-“ you began, only to be interrupted. 

“HE’S RIGHT. I FELT IT TOO, VERY BRIEFLY.” Edge pitched in, “OBVIOUSLY I WAS NOT THE ONE AFFECTED BY HER MAGIC, SO IT WOULD NOT AFFECT ME THE SAME WAY IT IS AFFECTING HIM.”

There were a few nods of agreement. 

You took a second to consider that, “Okay, well then how do I stop doing that?”

“you need to calm down.” Red told you, as if that were the simplest thing in the world. 

You nodded and took a second, taking a few deep breaths. Everything was fine. There was absolutely no reason for you to be panicking. Everything was fine. Everything is going to be fine. No one is hurt, and everything is okay. 

“there you go. i promise i’m not mad at you,” Stretch added, obviously sensing a difference in… whatever was happening. 

As you took one last deep breath, you watched as Stretch managed to pull his soul back into his chest, much to your relief. You groaned and let your head fall back onto the wall behind you with a dull thud. 

“Maybe next time, one of you should do it,” you needlessly pointed out.

“DON’T WORRY! YOU’LL GET THE HANG OF IT!” Blue cheered you on as he stood from the table. 

You really hoped so. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one may end up having two parts. I’m... not entirely sure yet. Also, sorry this one’s so dialogue heavy.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this one!! Whether or not the Reader’s powers will ever really be figured out is still a mystery. ;)


	48. Graffiti

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have some food, and then you go upstairs to deface some whiteboards.

With a heavy sigh, you wandered back towards the kitchen, where Papyrus busied himself with rushing between two pans of what you could safely assume was noodles and sauce. Admittedly, you were disappointed at that. 

Papyrus was… well, he was actually a fairly decent cook. Unless, of course, the food he was cooking happened to be spaghetti, with for some reason had been ingrained in his head as an absolute disaster dish. You were just glad that your advice had gotten it to be more edible than the first time you ate it. Or maybe you were starting to build a tolerance for it. 

...You chose to believe the former. 

“Need any help, Paps?” You asked, though right after, you slid onto one of the barstools.

“I DON’T THINK SO! I AM ACTUALLY ALMOST DONE, EVEN THOUGH YOUR STOVE LACKS FIERY PASSION, AND THAT MAKES IT TAKE LONGER.” His mild complaint came with a small glare to the stove.

You chuckled, “Well, I think you have enough passion to cover both you  _ and  _ my stove.”

He seemed to consider that for a second before giving you a nod, “OF COURSE!”

You found yourself twirling on the seat while you watched Papyrus finish with mild interest. “Think I should call everyone down to the table?”

“I BELIEVE THAT I CAN HANDLE THAT,” you saw the sparkle in his eye as he grinned at you. Before you could stop him, he took in a short breath before yelling loud enough that the whole house could hear him, and most likely the rest of the city if you were to wager a guess. “FOOD!!”

You flinched and instinctively reached up to your ears, “That was super effective and all, but a bit of warning next time would be appreciated.” You smiled at him, “You’ve got a really impressive set of pipes, especially considering the fact that you don’t really have a throat.”

He smiled at you sheepishly, “OH! I AM VERY SORRY. SOMETIMES I FORGET THAT YOUR HEARING IS A LOT MORE DELICATE THAN OURS. I WILL TRY TO BE MORE CAREFUL!” 

“Thanks!” You stood up and wandered over to the cabinet to grab a plate. You looked over at him with a grin, “I appreciate it!”

“what’d ya make?” You glanced behind you to see Red leaning in the doorway. 

Papyrus spun around from the stove, haphazardly flinging sauce from the spoon he was holding as he did. You flinched a bit as it splattered across your kitchen. 

“SPAGHETTI, OF COURSE!” Papyrus seemingly hadn’t noticed, or more likely was indifferent to the sauce he had flung around. But you supposed that you had come to expect cooking related messes with your particular household. On the bright side, it was usually cleaned right after in a mysteriously quick way for the amount of mess that was created. 

“course you did.” Red complained but moved in next to you and grabbed a plate despite his mild contempt at the dish.

He was followed shortly after by a plethora of other skeletons, all of which flooded into the kitchen at once to grab a plate. You raised a brow as you gently took the spoon from Papyrus. You proceeded to nudge your way around him so that you could get to the stove. There was no point in blocking off the kitchen if you could be in the dining room instead.

It wasn’t long before everyone else piled out of the kitchen to join you at the table. It was at that moment that you realized that if you kept going on the way you were, you would be needing more chairs, and probably a bigger table. 

You found yourself sitting between Sans and Edge, with Papyrus directly across from you. You took a second to take a headcount, only to end up slightly confused. 

“Uh, hey,” you glanced into the kitchen only to see that the two newest additions were missing from there, as well. “Do any of you know where Rus and Black are? I haven’t seen them since,” you thought for a second, “Actually, I haven’t seen them all day.”

“YES, WELL THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SPEND ALL DAY SLEEPING,” Edge pointed out unhelpfully. 

You glanced over at Stretch, knowing that he was the one who had brought them home, and most likely was the last to see them. Much to your chagrin, he shrugged. 

“they ‘ported themselves back. i don’t know.” He told you before shoveling a fork full of noodles into his mouth. 

“i’m sure they heard paps. if they wanted to get food, they’d be down here,” Sans seemed to notice your distress about the missing skeletons. “if they’re still not down by the time you’re done eating, you can go look for them.”

You nodded, “Yeah. I’m sure I’m worrying about nothing. It’s actually kind of silly of me.”

Blue nearly launched his food at you as he began to scold you, “IT’S NOT SILLY! YOU’VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT RECENTLY, AND YOU AREN’T USED TO HAVING SO MANY PEOPLE UNDER YOUR ROOF! IT’S ONLY NATURAL THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE WHEREABOUTS OF YOUR HOUSEMATES!” 

That… actually made a lot of sense. You knew that they didn’t need to be watched over or protected. As a matter of fact, you were absolutely certain that they could handle themselves better than you could. But, after everything you’ve been through, and after everything those two in particular have been through, who could blame you? You had seen one of them nearly die! Of course you were worried about them!

You shook your head to clear your thoughts and began scarfing down the mediocre spaghetti. Though you got an occasional glance, no one really talked to you directly, too invested in their own conversations. That was perfectly okay with you, though. You weren’t entirely sure how much you could add to either of the conversations that were happening. After all, the technical garble on one side of you went way over your head, nor did you have any input on the rousing debate of puzzles versus traps. 

When you finished, you stood only to be stopped by Sans. 

“hey. we can try again with the soul stuff tomorrow. it’s getting late, and you need a break,” he pointed out. 

You found yourself smirking at him, “Late? Aw, but I just woke up.” You… didn’t think you’d be able to sleep anyways. Now that you weren’t nearly falling over due to your exhaustion, you doubted your thoughts would calm enough for you to be able to. 

He shrugged, “yeah, i know.” He seemed to think for a second before giving you a sheepish smile, “that’s okay, though. if i can’t sleep either, i might just find you.”

You nodded, a small smile on your face, “Of course. You guys are welcome to find me any time. I wouldn’t mind the company.” You glanced around to see that you were being listened to by everybody, “I mean that for all of you. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me.”

With that, you took your leave, only stopping in the kitchen to drop off your dish. You headed upstairs, but decided to wander through the halls a bit before going up to your room. 

Your mouth twitched up into a smile as you looked over the occupied doors. The whiteboards you had hung up were covered in different colored writing. You think you may have just found the perfect way to waste time. 

You stopped to read some of them. Papyrus’, much to your confused amusement, had a rather well done drawing of a basketball wearing sunglasses. You decided to pop the marker out of its holder, and wrote the words ‘Coolest dude’ in big letters at the bottom.

You grinned and moved on to the next one. You were unsurprised to find that Edge’s just had ‘GO AWAY’ written on it. You erased that, and put ‘No soliciting without a permit’, and added a tiny doodle of Edge as a finishing touch. 

Next was Red’s, which had remnants of something drawn in red that was hastily erased. In light blue was written, ‘RED! THAT IS VERY RUDE!’. You thought for a second before doodling a very scandalous sock in the corner of the board. In the opposite one, you left him a doodle of a skull and crossbones. You figured he would appreciate that. 

Next was Sans’, which seemed to have a very one sided argument about putting something on the board. It was probably safe to assume that Sans was the one who had written the word ‘ok’ repeatedly in a dark blue. You smiled before erasing the jumble and wrote ‘SANSational’ followed by a little winky face. 

After his was Stretch’s, which had a few music notes scribbled onto it. Your face scrunched up as you tried to figure out whether or not they were random, or actually a part of a song. In the end, you decided that you had no idea, and decided to do a sketch of a bumblebee looping around the border. Once you were satisfied, you moved on to the last one.

Much to your surprise, Blue’s had a few quick drawings of stars, but the bottom of it had something that looked suspiciously science-y scribbled at the bottom in the same light blue marker. You had absolutely no idea where to even begin understanding what it meant, but it must have meant something to him, and perhaps some of the others could read it. You hadn’t really had Blue pegged as a science nerd, but you supposed that it made sense if he was an alternate version of Sans. In fact, you were pretty sure that all of your housemates were secretly a bunch of geniuses. 

You decided to add a few more stars to his. You also doodled your best impression of a knight’s helmet in one of the corners. That was when you had decided that you had wasted enough time on that. 

You made your way up to your room, and a gentle smile fell on your face when you noticed your own whiteboard, which was cluttered with writing and drawings in different colors. You took a few seconds to look it over before chuckling to yourself and pulling the door open. 

You froze and blinked a few times, “Uh. Hi, there.” You tilted your head at Rus, who seemed to have made himself comfortable on your bed. “I guess I don’t need to go look for you guys after all.”

He glanced over at you and gave you a small shrug before going back to ignoring you.

Your face scrunched up in confusion, “Not that I’m kicking you out or anything, but, uh,” you wandered over to your bed and sat next to him, “why exactly are you in my room?”

He wasted no time in grabbing you by the waist and tugging you down next to him. You yelped at the sudden shift, and found yourself holding your head back in order to stop yourself from face planting into his rib cage. His arms wound themselves around your waist and held you in place.

“Wow, that was definitely not an answer to my question,” you chuckled. “You really don’t care about personal space, do you?” You added, glancing up at him with a raised brow.

He shrugged once more. You started to get the sneaking suspicion that you weren’t going to get any answers out of him. So, you decided to use the opportunity to satisfy your curiosity about magic skeletons. 

“Can I see your hand?” You would have tried to grab it yourself, but considering the way they were settled around you, that would have been a bit of a struggle. 

“why?” He gave you and odd look, but complied nonetheless. 

“Curious,” you explained simply before taking his hand in your own and examining it. 

The first thing you noticed was how much bigger his hand was than yours. You briefly rested one of your hands against his to compare them, but you quickly moved on from that. Without having to look into it too much, you could already tell that his hands were very different from a human skeleton’s hands. The palm of it was solid, and the way his joints were held together was… odd. You took one of his phalanges between your finger and moved it around, watching the way the joints interacted with each other. You took note of how chipped and scratched the bones of Rus’ hands were. You couldn’t help but wonder if that was just from daily wear and tear, or if it was something else. You decided that you wouldn’t ask. 

Satisfied with your investigation, you dropped his hand and looked back up at him with a small smile. He was looking back at you with a thoughtful expression. You felt your cheeks heat up, suddenly bashful about the way he was looking at you.

You cleared your throat, “Thanks.”

You could feel the reverberation of his chuckle in his ribcage as he dropped his arm back around your middle, “you can examine me whenever you’d like, darlin’.” He gave you a wink. You looked away, the blush on your face growing warmer at the insinuation. 

Suddenly, your door was slammed open. You jumped at the sound, but Rus seemed indifferent to it. The both of you looked over the the doorway to see Black standing with his arms crossed. 

“THERE YOU ARE! WHILE YOU’VE BEEN WASTING TIME CANOODLING WITH THE HUMAN, I ACTUALLY GOT THINGS DONE!” He shook his head disapprovingly at his brother when Rus made no effort to move, “COME ON! I HAVEN’T GOT ALL NIGHT!” 

Rus let you go and stood quickly after the command. You gave a confused look to the two of them. Rus shoved his hands in his jacket pockets as he moved to follow Black out of your room. 

Black gave his brother an unamused look, “IF HE CONTINUES TO BOTHER YOU, COME TELL ME.” 

You shook your head, “He wasn’t bothering me.” 

Black let out a small hum at that and shook his head before leaving your room. Rus followed after giving you one final wink. You stared at the door, even after Rus gently shut it behind him. 

You found yourself chuckling. What a bunch of characters you were living with. It was probably safe to say that there would never be a dull moment with them around. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen, I think a break is pretty well deserved for these poor characters. And if a break means that I write five paragraphs about whiteboards, then so be it!


	49. Heartfelt Moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone takes you up on your offer for a late night feelings jam.

Eventually, you found yourself preparing to go up to the roof. There was absolutely no chance of you getting any kind of sleep, so you had to distract yourself somehow. What better way to do that than staring up at the stars?

Blanket in hand, you ascended the ladder to the roof and made yourself comfortable. A small breeze whipped at you, brining the smell of the forest along with it. You reclined back and shut your eyes, content with relaxing in the chilly night air. 

The relaxation was cut short when you heard the muffled sound of your bedroom door closing. There were a few moments of silence, and then you heard someone shuffle out onto your balcony. You peeked an eye open just in time to see a familiar face peek onto the roof.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Edge pulled himself up onto the roof, an annoyed look on his face.

You gave him a small smile and unwrapped yourself from the blanket in order to lay it out, “Just laying around.” You tapped the spot next to you, “Care to join?”

He crossed his arms and gave you a contemplative look. You tapped the spot once more in an invitation. He rolled his eyes at you, but wandered over and sat next to you nonetheless. 

There was a silent moment where the two of you were content to stare up at the sky. The silence was good. It was comfortable. For once, you found yourself not minding the silence. 

Eventually, you decided to to break it, “I’ll be honest with you, Papyrus. You were the last person I expected to see tonight.” The use of his name seemed to surprise him.

He glanced over at you, “Why’s That?” His voice was softer than you had expected it to be. You found yourself appreciating his attempt to keep the calm atmosphere that had settled over the two of you. 

“I dunno. You’ve just never really seemed like the kind to stop and smell the flowers, if you will.” You shook your head, recalling when he had lead you through the underground, “No, wait, that’s not what I mean. I mean that you and your brother both seem more inclined to keep to yourselves.”

He looked back up at the sky with a small hum, “I Suppose You Are Right. Our Universe Was… Lonely.” There was a hint of melancholy to his voice. 

You blinked up at him in surprise. Edge was talking to you! Something must have really been bothering him, then.

“Are you alright?” You asked gently.

He took a few more seconds to look at the stars before looking back at you, “I Have Trouble Sleeping Most Nights.”

You tilted your head at him and mumbled out a small, “oh.” When he lost himself in thought, you continued, “Do you want to talk about it?”

You seemed to take him by surprise once more with your question. Instead of answering, he scoffed and turned away. Admittedly, you were a bit disappointed at that. You wouldn’t pry, though. You knew Edge had been through a whole lot, and if he didn’t want to talk to you, you weren’t going to make him. If he wanted to sit with you on a roof in silence, well, who were you to stop him?

“There’s A Lot Of Things I Did That I’m Not Proud Of,” he suddenly began. “I Was Horrible To My Brother, I Made Sure That I Was Feared By Whatever Means Necessary, And I Let A Rumor Spread That I Killed My Superior Officer.”

“Papyrus, what happened in your universe was-“ you stopped in your tracks as you processed what he had said, “-Wait, a rumor? You mean you didn’t kill Undyne?”

“Of Course I Didn’t. Undyne Was The Closest Thing I Had To A Friend At One Point. Her Death Was An Accident. I Was Just In The Wrong Place At The Wrong Time, And Everyone Just Assumed.”

You frowned at him, “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t know-“

“Don’t Be Daft. Of Course You Didn’t Know. I Told You I Did It. I Told Everybody That I Did It.” He sounded more guilty than you had ever heard him. You watched in concern as he rested his head on his knee. 

“I know that nothing I say can fix the past,” you began, looking back up at the sky, “but I know that there’s no point staying trapped in it. Who you were in your past isn’t necessarily who you are, and it doesn’t have to change who you’re going to be.”

“You Sound Like You’re Speaking From Experience,” he pointed out.

You let a humorless chuckle escape you as you looked back at him, “I am.” You gave him a soft smile, “I think that you’re a better person than you give yourself credit for.”

He was quiet as he stared at you. He must have found what he was looking for in your expression, because he looked away, “You Really Believe That, Don’t you?”

“Of course I do. Even if you don’t seem to think so,” you smiled, “You’re a bit rough around the edges, but that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with that.” You ended that with a small wink to let him know that you’d used his nickname on purpose. 

He gave you a deadpan stare, “Congratulations. You’ve Done It. You’ve Ruined The Moment.” When you began giggling, he continued, though you didn’t miss the way he smirked for a moment. “I Hope You Are Proud Of Yourself.”

You laughed and shrugged, “You’re smiling.”

“How Dare You Slander Me Like That?” He joked, but then his smirk fell back. “My Brother Knows About Undyne, But He Does Not Know About My Sleeping Habits.”

You gave him a nod, the smile still remaining, “If you don’t want me to say anything, I won’t. Your secret is safe with me.”

“Thank You. Sans Has Enough To Worry About Already.” He told you before standing up. He reached a hand out to you in an offer to pull you to your feet. 

“Thank you for trusting me,” you took his hand. 

He scoffed, “WHATEVER. IT’S NO BIG DEAL.” You begged to differ, but you weren’t going to call him out on it. Instead, you settled with giving him a coy smile as he pulled you to your feet effortlessly.

“SHUT UP.” He snapped. 

You laughed, “But I didn’t say anything.”

“MAYBE NOT, BUT YOU WERE THINKING IT!” He crossed his arms.

“I will neither confirm nor deny that,” you began making your way back down the ladder, followed by Edge.

You easily slid down the ladder with your blanket in hand. Edge didn’t bother to use the ladder. One of the perks of being ridiculously tall, you supposed. You made your way back into your room, and closed the balcony door once your skeletal companion followed you inside. He made his way over to your door and pulled it open. 

Before he left, he stopped to turn and look at you, “(Y/N)?” He took a second, and opened his mouth before shutting it once more. He shook his head and settled on, “GOODNIGHT.”

You didn’t think that was what he wanted to say, but you nodded nonetheless, “Goodnight.”

After staring at you for a second, he shut the door behind him. You listened as his footfalls disappears down your stairs before sighing and throwing the blanket on your bed. Great. Now what?

Maybe you’d watch a movie. At least that was something that you could focus on, or space out to, at least. You wandered over to see what movies you had in your room. The selection in your room consisted of a few DVD’s that you had been too lazy to take back downstairs, so your selection was small.

You hummed to yourself before grabbing the one closest to you. Whatever. You had a feeling that you wouldn’t really be paying attention to it, anyways. It would just end up as background noise to-

You nearly tossed the disk across the room when you noticed the kid on your bed. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” they stood up and gave you a sympathetic smile.

“Are you here to send me on another one of these dumb missions?” You found yourself asking them bitterly.

They shook their head, “No. I’m here to make sure that you are okay.” 

You found yourself more than a little confused at that. Before you could ask anything, they continued.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect any of that to happen,” they looked away from you, a small frown on their face. “I didn’t think that you would end up in such a… bad timeline.”

You blinked at them, “You mean… you mean you don’t know where I’ll end up when I go to a new universe?”

“No,” they shook their head, “I do not control where you go. Where you end up is a surprise, even to me. I think that there is a good chance that you end up wherever you are needed most.” That made sense. They had showed up after you got the watch, after all. You… weren’t entirely sure why you thought they had any control over it in the first place. 

You sighed and shook your head before finishing what you had been doing with the DVD player, “I know I say this every time, but I really don’t think I can do this.” You wandered back to your bed and sat down, “But I already know that you’re going to say something that makes me feel like I need to, and I’m going to keep doing this even though I really don’t want to.”

“I’m sorry,” they apologized once more, “I really wish you didn’t have to.”

“Yeah, me too, kiddo.” 

They looked away from you with a look of contemplation, “I think you should take a few days for yourself. It wouldn’t be healthy for you to keep on going the way you are.” 

You nodded, “I think you might be right about that,” a half hearted smile was thrown in their direction. 

They let out a soft chuckle at your dry attempt at being humorous, “I think you will know when it is time to go.”

You gave them a small smile, a real one. “You seem to know an awful lot of things.” When they didn’t answer, you continued, “You also sound like you’re getting ready to leave.”

They gave you a curious look. As they looked up at you, you realized just how small they were. It was hard for you to remember that they were still a kid sometimes. That thought made you frown. They were a kid, and yet, who knew what kind of things they had been through? You doubted you would even be able to wager a guess. 

“Do you not want me to leave?”

You shrugged, “Well, I did just start a movie if you decide you’d like to stay.”

They glanced between you and the TV before shaking their head, “I would like to, but I can’t right now. I will come back for that another time, though.”

You tilted your head, “Well alright. If you say so.” You held out a hand with a pinky extended, “You have to pinky promise me you’ll take me up on that offer sometime, though.” You gave them a smile. 

They stared at your and for a few seconds before linking your finger with their own. “Gladly.”

One you were satisfied, you dropped their hand. They smiled up at you and gave you a small smirk. 

“I think that there are a few people in your house who would be more than happy to watch a movie with you,” they told you coyly.

You narrowed your eyes and grinned at them, “Are you implying something?”

They just continued to grin up at you. In a moment of maturity, you decided to stick your tongue out at them. They chuckled and shook their head. You were glad that you had a bit of a moment with them. Responsibilities were great and fine and all, but they were just a kid, and they seemed like they had more to worry about than they should. 

Whatever they were doing sounded important, though. It had to be if they were so dead set on it. Plus, they had some kind of powerful, all knowing thing going on. You had a feeling that they were tackling a whole lot more than you could ever hope to handle.

…That made you a bit sad. 

“I will see you again,” they told you. You frowned but nodded nonetheless.

“Of course. Hopefully next time, it’ll be under better circumstances.” 

They gave you a nod before disappearing. Seeing someone teleport was never going to be any less discombobulating, was it?

You sighed and fell back onto your bed. Great. Now it was just you and the sound of whatever movie was playing in the background as you stared up at the ceiling. What a way to spend the rest of your night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not that I’m picking favorites or anything, but just so you guys know, I absolutely adore Edge. 
> 
> !! Where in the heck did all of you come from?!?! Thank you all so much for reading this silly little story!!! I really appreciate all of you!!
> 
> Also: Just to let you guys know, two milestones in one week means I’m hosting a giveaway for both stories and art over on my Tumblr if you guys would like to participate!! (This will proably be edited out once the giveaway is done unless I forget, which is entirely possible.)


	50. Lost and Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you find yourself to be a bit lost, and something is found.

Much to your surprise, you were alone for the rest of the night. Or, at least, you had assumed that you were. Even more to your surprise, you had drifted off to sleep at some point. You weren’t entirely sure when that had happened, but when you slowly blinked open your eyes to see daylight streaking through your windows, you knew that had been the case.

You sat up with a small yawn and rubbed at your eyes. Your feet made a gentle thud as you dropped them onto the floor and stood up. You could hear the murmuring of voices coming from downstairs, so you decided that was where you were going. 

You blearily wanted down the second floor hall, and the voices grew louder. You could safely assume that your household was downstairs, likely in either the living room or the dining room. It seemed that you had managed to wake up around breakfast if the smell of food told you anything. 

You were quick to scamper down the stairs, jumping over the last few with practiced ease. You peeked your head into the kitchen to see that there were pans full of different foods sitting on the counter. You stepped in and raised a brow. Nothing was burnt, and everything smelled good. Who had cooked? 

You shrugged and grabbed a plate anyways. You were pretty sure that no one in your house was looking to poison you… probably. You smirked at the thought before picking up a fork on your way to the living room. 

You were greeted by a barrage of skeletons taking over your couches. They were chatting away about something or another, paying you little mind until you stepped into the room. 

“AH! GOOD MORNING!” Papyrus smiled up at you from his seat on the couch, “HOW WAS YOUR NIGHT?”

You glanced over at Edge briefly before giving Papyrus a smile, “It was fine. I didn’t really mean to fall asleep, but I guess it was okay.”

“WELL THAT’S GOOD!” He turned to Sans once more, continuing to talk to him. 

You smiled at them and glanced at the couch. It was very crowded, and the loveseat was taken over by Red and Stretch, both of which were spread out to take over the entire area. You shook your head at them and made your way over. 

“Scoot,” you told them, “you’re taking over the entire sofa, and I’m not above sitting on you.”

Both of them gave you a cheeky grin, but it was Red that acted first on what you had said. He gave his leg a couple of pats and paired it with a wink for good measure. You raised a brow at him.

For some reason, you knew that he didn’t think you were going to. You accepted it as a challenge. 

With a cheesy grin, you made your way over and fell back heavily onto his lap, holding your plate so that no food fell off. You almost regretted doing that when you landed and were swiftly reminded that he was in fact a skeleton. Bruises aside, you felt a small swell of victory at the surprised noise he made. You glanced back to see that his face was tinted a bright shade of crimson. Good. Served him right for offering something he didn’t mean. 

You set the plate on your lap and took a bite before looking around the room, “So, what are your plans for the day?”

A few of them were giving you odd looks. You knew it was because you had decided to sit on Red’s lap. A smirk found its way onto your face. 

“ACTUALLY,” Papyrus began, “I WAS MEANING TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THAT!” 

You took another bite, “Okay. What’s going on?” You found yourself shifting so that you could tuck your feet together in a crisscross. Red tensed up more than he had been before.

“I KNOW YOU TOLD US THAT WE COULD DO ANYTHING TO OUR ROOMS, BUT YOU ALSO TOLD US TO ASK IF WE WOULD BE TEARING DOWN ANY WALLS!” He explained.

You gave him a skeptical look, “Yeah?” 

“WELL, I WOULD LIKE TO DO SOME… MINOR RENOVATIONS.” Papyrus fiddled with the fingers of his gloves. 

You bit your lip in thought. You knew that Papyrus could be  _ enthusiastic _ with what he was doing, but you decided that you trusted him. You knew he wouldn’t mess anything up on purpose. 

“Yeah, go for it I guess. As long as you aren’t doing anything too drastic. And, uh. Just clean it up when you’re done, I guess?” You looked pointedly at Sans, “Thank you for asking me first.”

Maybe you were still a bit bitter about having a lab under your house that you had no idea existed until yesterday. In all fairness, you thought it was pretty justified that you felt that way about the matter. You would have said yes if he would have asked you about it.

You shook it off and turned to Blue, “How about you? Got anything interesting happening today?”

“I ACTUALLY GOT A CALL FROM UNDYNE AND ALPHYS! I THINK WE’RE GOING TO GO VISIT THE QUEEN AND CHARA!” He gave you a grin. 

“Hey, that’s cool! It’s important to keep up with your friends,” you glanced over at the skeleton next to you, “You going with him?”

Stretch shrugged. How insightful. 

“WELL  _ I _ ,” Black began, bringing your attention to him, “WAS PLANNING ON GOING TO THE HUMAN MALL TODAY.” 

You snickered, “You don’t have to specify that it’s a human mall. There aren’t really any other kinds up here just yet.”

“OF COURSE I KNOW THAT!” He insisted, “YOUR MALLS ARE JUST INFERIOR TO ANYTHING A MONSTER COULD COME UP WITH!”

You raised a brow at him, “I mean, you probably aren’t wrong. Humans kind of suck at everything.” You realized about halfway through your sentence that you were feeding into the skeleton’s already inflated ego, but you found that you were pretty  indifferent to that.

Rus, who was sat on the floor next to his brother’s feet, looked up at you with a soft expression, “not all of ‘em.”

“Right, well when you find one that doesn’t, let me know,” you joked.

You felt a pair of hands come to rest right above your knees. “now, now doll. we ain’t gonna have any of that.” Red’s voice came from right next to you. You could feel the deep rumble in his ribcage as he let out a chuckle, “there can only be so many self-deprecating assholes under one roof, and i think we got that covered for ya.” 

You rolled your eyes and swatted at him, “Don’t remind me. We’ve got a household full of people with more problems than they know what to do with.”

“guess that means we make a great team, eh?” Stretch pointed out. You caught a wink from the corner of your eye. 

“WHAT ABOUT YOU?” You looked back over at Blue, who was quick to pull the subject in a different direction. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING TODAY?”

You shrugged, “Probably just gonna laze around a bit.”

He glanced down at your chest before giving you a nod, “NORMALLY, I WOULD NOT PROMOTE LAZINESS, BUT YOU STILL NEED REST.”

You glanced down at your chest as well, even though you knew very well that it wouldn’t do a thing, “Is it still the same as it was yesterday?”

“nah,” Sans began, “looks like it’s getting better. ‘s not as good as it should be, but it’s getting there.”

You instinctually brought your hand up to rest where you knew your soul to be, “Well, that’s good I guess.” You sighed, “I suppose we need to try and do something about my soul again, huh?”

“don’t worry about that right now.” Sans told you before standing up. He looked over at his brother, “c’mon paps. we got a whole lotta work to do.”

Papyrus narrowed his eye sockets, “YOU MEAN I HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO WHILE YOU LIE AROUND AND WATCH?”

Sans shrugged, “eh, same thing.”

You rolled your eyes and stood up, “Well then, looks like we’ve all got own things to do today. Guess we should all separate, then.”

“DO YOU WANT TO COME HELP ME AND SANS?” Papyrus offered with a small smile.

“Oh! Uh, thanks Paps, but not right now. Maybe I’ll stop by later to see what the two of you are doing.” You weren’t sure why you were denying him. Maybe you just felt like everyone needed some time to themselves. You would feel bad if you were lingering around all the time if they didn’t want you to. You didn’t want to annoy them. 

You sighed and stretched as you made your way through the living room. A satisfying series of clicks came from your spine followed by a louder pop. The room fell into a tense silence as all attention shifted to you.

“Uh… Miss (Y/N)?” You looked back and noticed the uncomfortable looks you were getting from everyone.

“WHAT THE ABSOLUTE HELL,” Edge deadpanned, though the scandalous look you were getting from him told that he was bothered by… something.

What had you done to make them all look at you like that? The only thing you had done was stretch and crack your… oh. 

You couldn’t help but snicker at the situation, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you guys.”

“is that, uh, normal? do humans snap like that all the time?” Stretch seemed mildly concerned, though there was a light tinting of orange over his cheekbones. 

“Yeah, actually. It’s a normal thing that humans to to relieve pressure between their joints,” you explained. “It happens naturally with certain movements, though the movements usually vary from person to person.”

“SO YOU’RE TELLING US THAT ATROCIOUS SOUND YOU JUST MADE IS  _ NORMAL  _ FOR HUMANS?” Black seemed mildly horrified at the prospect. 

“Does It Hurt?” Blue asked.

You shook your head, “Not usually. It all depends really. I’ll stop doing it around you guys if it makes you uncomfortable.”

All you received in response to that were a few incoherent mumbles. You playfully rolled your eyes at them before continuing to the kitchen so that you could drop your plate off. You weren’t followed, though you could hear commotion from the living room. You chuckled to yourself. What a bunch of numbskulls. 

It wasn’t long before everyone dispersed to do their own things. You found yourself up in your bedroom curled up on your bed with a book. It was fairly hard to read, however, when you kept hearing the sounds of ‘renovations’ from downstairs. 

A particularly loud crash caused you to wince. Maybe it would be best if you checked on Sans and Papyrus. 

You sighed and dropped the book on your bed. As soon as your feet hit the ground, another concerningly loud bang echoed up through the halls. Your leisurely pace quickly became more rushed as you made your way to Papyrus’s room. You didn’t bother knocking. You didn’t think that they would have been able to hear you if you had, anyways. 

You raised a brow as you swung the door open. Sans was lounging on the red race car bed, and while you didn’t immediately see Papyrus, you could hear him banging around in his closet. Sans gave you a small wave. 

“Hey there. How’s it going in here?” At your question, there was a dull thud from the closet.

Papyrus peeked out, and you had to fight back a chuckle. He was absolutely covered in plaster dust and paint. “AH! HELLO THERE! IT IS GOING QUITE WELL!”

“Looks like it,” you chuckled. “What exactly are you working on?” You wandered towards Papyrus, making sure to carefully step over all of the building materials he had laid out. 

“WELL, RIGHT NOW I AM PULLING THE SHELF OUT OF MY CLOSET SO THAT I CAN FIT MORE BONES IN IT!” He turned back to what he had been doing after giving you that oddly confusing answer.

“I’m sorry, what?” 

“WELL, THEY USUALLY GO UNDER THE SINK, BUT SANS HELPFULLY REMINDED ME THAT IT WOULD BE VERY INCONVENIENT FOR YOU IF I WERE TO EXPAND THOSE CABINETS. I DECIDED THAT MY CLOSET WAS THE NEXT BEST THING.” That cleared up absolutely nothing. You looked to Sans for some kind of answer, but he just winked at you.

“Er, right. Of course.” There were some things about your skeletal housemates that you doubted you would ever be able to understand. Sometimes, you found it was best to just go with the flow. This probably counted as one of those times. 

You joined Sans on the bed, “Thanks for saving my kitchen I think?”

He chuckled, “no prob. i figured you wouldn’t want your sink to be taller than you.”

“Yeah, I could see how that might be a bit of a problem.” You glanced back to the closet, where Papyrus was working on yanking a nail out of the wall. You watched as he easily pulled it out after a second, only to hold the nail between his teeth and move on to the next one. 

You glanced around the room. Not much else had been changed, but that observation only left you with more questions than answers. Why was he covered in paint and plaster? There wasn’t even any paint in the room. Why did your skeletons always defy any and all logic?

There was a thud as the shelf fell from its spot in the wall. You looked over at it when the shelf fell to the floor with a dull thud. Something white fluttered down to the floor with it. Papyrus tilted his head and made a soft noise of confusion.

He picked up what you found to be an envelope. It was sealed, and as he turned it over in his hands, you could also see that it was blank. 

“what’s that?” It seemed that they were both just as curious as you were. 

Papyrus’s expression scrunched up in confusion as he opened up the envelope and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. He hadn’t even looked at it for a few seconds before he stomped and pointed a finger at his brother.

“SANS! WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT PRANKING PEOPLE THROUGH TIME AND SPACE?” What? What did that even mean?

Sans gave his brother a confused look, “uh. i didn’t.” He stood up and made his way over to Papyrus, only to take the letter from him. 

He looked at it for only a second before the lights in his eyes vanished. Despite his lack of strange glowing eyes, you could tell that he was swiftly reading over whatever was written on the paper. 

The lights in his eyes slowly came back the further he got into the letter, though his expression still looked tense. Papyrus looked just slightly less so as he read over his brother’s shoulder.

“What is it?” You finally asked, glancing between the brothers curiously. You honestly had no clue what it could have been. You had never really used the second floor rooms, let alone looked through them. 

“IT’S A LETTER!” Well, you could have guessed that much. “I THINK IT’S FROM YOUR UNCLE!”

You came to attention at that, standing up and tilting your head, “Really? What’s it say?”

“nothin’ important,” Sans insisted, “just some junk mail.” Before you could question it, the paper disappeared in his hands with a crackle of magic. 

Both of them stared at you for an uncomfortable amount of time. For some reason, you doubted what Sans had said. You shifted as they looked at you with expression that you couldn’t quite place. You trusted Sans and Papyrus. You knew that whatever was on that letter must have been something that they felt that they needed to keep from you. Or, maybe it really was nothing. Hopefully it wasn’t embarrassing baby pictures or something. 

“Er. Okay then.” You fiddled with your fingers and looked away from them, “If you say so.” They way they were looking at you made you feel uncomfortable. 

You sighed and shook your head. Well, you were pretty satisfied that Papyrus wasn’t destroying your house, so you supposed you had done what you came into his room for. 

Without a word from any of you, you turned and left the room, shutting the door behind you. That whole encounter was super strange. 

You wondered what could have possibly been on that letter that would cause them to react like that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah!!! 50 chapters?!?! Dang! Thanks you guys for sticking with this story after all this time!! (And after all these chapters, including the beginning ones which are pretty rough... maybe I’ll have to go back and fix those up.)


	51. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You really don’t like fighting, but sometimes it’s nessisary if you want to get any information out of these guys.

 

You shut the refrigerator door with your foot as you spun around, hands full of ingredients. You were met with the bright smile of Blue, who had taken it upon himself to help you with dinner after he had gotten back from a ‘training session’ with his universe’s Alphys and Undyne. Papyrus had, much to your concern, forgone the cooking lesson.

Come to think of it, you hadn’t really seen Papyrus or his brother since they had found the letter earlier. The letter that magically disappeared as soon as you started questioning them as to what was on it. You knew that you let the subject be, but the more you thought about it, the more frustrated you got with them. You made yourself a mental note to chew them out later.

You decided that you only wanted to handle one problem at a time as Blue began taking items from your arms, “SO, WHAT ARE WE MAKING TONIGHT?”

“Well, our household count just went up again, so I was thinking that we could make something a bit easier that would be able to feed more people. So I decided we’re doing soup tonight.” You explained, dropping the remaining food on the counter.

“OKAY! JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED ME TO DO!” He happily took the vegetables you handed him after he had said that.

“If you could just chop those up for me, I’d owe ya one.” You gave him a small wink as you turned back to the counter. He didn’t say anything in response, but you could hear the tapping of a knife on the cutting board as he did what you asked of him.

After a few seconds, he added the swiftly chopped vegetables to the pot you had put out. You smiled at him in thanks. He stood next to you and watched you for a second before clearing his throat. You over at him in question, and he gave you a sheepish look.

“Actually, I Do Have Something That I Would Like To Ask Of You.” He seemed almost unsure as he spoke.

“Oh! Uh, okay! What can I do for you then?” You were honestly a bit surprised the he had something in mind. In hindsight, you had just told him that you owed him, and no matter what he asked you were sure that you’d be happy to help him. It was Blue, after all. How bad could his request possibly be?

“WELL I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD MAYBE LET ME RIDE YOUR MOTORCYCLE?” He spoke in one breath, his words smooshing together just enough to make you hesitate and try to decipher what he had said.

You tilted your head at him, “As in… you want to learn to drive it?” When he nodded, you raised a brow. “You do know that would be extremely illegal right now, right? You don’t even have a license.”

Blue shook his head, “It’s Only Illegal If We Get Caught.” He gave you his best puppy dog eyes, which were admittedly very good.

You blinked at him in surprise, “Blue!” You chuckled in disbelief at his comment.

There was a hopeful spark in his eyes as he looked over at you. You found yourself letting out a small sigh. Maybe it wasn’t too ridiculous of a request. You were pretty confident in your riding abilities, and you _had_ been a teacher. It seemed like it was something that he really wanted to do, too. And, well, who were you to deny him of something like that?

“Alright,” you relented, “I know where there’s an old parking lot not too far from here. We’ll have to go another night, yeah?”

His eyes lit up into bright stars, “REALLY?!” He didn’t give you a chance to answer before continuing, “WOW! I HAVE TO GO TELL-“

You gave him a concerned look as he cut himself off. The lights in his eyes dimmed.

“Blue?”

He shook his head one more and gave you a smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “JUST MAYBE KEEP THIS BETWEEN US, OKAY?”

You frowned at him, “Well, I guess. If you really want me to do that, I can.”

He seemed relieved to hear that, much to your confusion. Why were all of your housemates so confusing? There was something Blue wasn’t telling you.

You frowned. You were getting pretty sick and tired of people hiding things from you, and were about to the point where you were going to start trying to pry information from them.

“Is there a reason you don’t want me to tell anyone?” You asked, giving him a look.

He seemed nervous, “NOPE! NO REASON!”

“Blue.” You crossed your arms, “What’s wrong?”

He stared over at you before slumping over uncharacteristically, “I Don’t Want You To Tell Papy.”

Your face scrunched up in confusion, “What? Why?”

His teeth mad a small grinding noise as he clenched his jaw, seemingly frustrated over something. He fiddled with the ends of his gloves before shaking his head in agitation. Your own frustration slowly turned into concern. You had never seen him like this.

“I Know My Brother Means Well, But He Wouldn’t Want Me To Go,” he began. “I JUST- HE TREATS ME LIKE I’M A CHILD! AND I’M NOT! I’M NOT A LITTLE BABYBONES THAT NEEDS TO BE DEFENDED!” His voice raised as he ranted to you, “HE THINKS I’M NAIVE- OR- OR THAT I’M TOO STUPID AND INNOCENT TO SEE THINGS FOR WHAT THEY ARE! AND HE’S GOT IT IN HIS MIND THAT I NEED PROTECTING! I DON’T! I Don’t Need-“ his words grew weaker until he stopped whether he was about to say.

That… was a whole lot to unpack. You weren’t even sure where to start, but seeing Blue so visibly upset, you knew you needed to do something.

“Hey,” you reached out and gently rested your hand on his cheek, turning his head so that he was looking at you. “I know you don’t need protecting, and I promise your brother doesn’t think that you’re stupid.” When he refused to meet your eyes, you continued, “Have you tried talking to him about it?”

He shook his head, pulling away from your hand. You dropped it back to your side dejectedly.

“I Don’t Know. He’s My Brother, And He’s My Best Friend. I Don’t Want To Hurt Him.”

Your frown deepened, “Sans, you need to talk to him. I can promise you that it’ll be so much worse if you keep it to yourself.”

He looked over at you thoughtfully before shaking his head, “Thank You For The Advice.” He didn’t say anything else to you before ducking out of the kitchen. You got the sinking feeling that he wasn’t going to follow it.

You let out a heavy groan and rubbed at your face in frustration. Why were things always so complicated? You needed a break from this break. It took a second for you to shake yourself off. You rolled your shoulders back and shook your head once more.

You made the executive decision to put all of your focus in stirring the soup, which really didn’t need to be stirred all that much. You just needed some kind of repetitive, mind-numbing thing to give your attention to. The soup was just the best candidate to let your frustrations out on.

“heya, darlin’. what’s got ya in a slump?” You nearly lobbed your spoon at Rus as his voice suddenly came from behind you. You managed to stop yourself halfway through the motion, however.

“Rus!” You rested a hand on your chest, “Don’t scare me like that!” You brandished the spoon at him with a hand on your hip, “You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

He chuckled and gave you an unapologetic shrug, “just wanted to know what dinner did to offend you.”

“What dinner did to-“ you cut yourself off, shaking your head, “Dinner didn’t offend me. It’s nothing important. Well, I mean, it’s important, it’s just noting _you_ need to worry about.” You skirted around telling him why you were actually upset. He very obviously noticed that, but he just hummed and gave you a skeptic look, not pressing the issue any more. You gave him a small thankful nod in return. You were sure that what Blue had told you was meant to stay between the two of you. And you were nowhere near ready to unbox what had happened in Papyrus’s room.

“So, anyways,” you began, quickly averting the subject, “Did you guys just get back from the mall?”

He nodded, “yeah, a couple a minutes ago. i think my bro found everything he was lookin’ for.”

“Well that’s good,” you turned back to your soup, though you continued to talk over your shoulder, “What about you?”

“what?”

“Did you find everything _you_ were looking for? Or did you find anything cool that you weren’t really looking for?”

There was a moment of silence that was followed by a small chuckle, “yeah. i think i did.”

“I’m glad,” you looked back at him with a small smile, but even you could tell that it wasn’t reaching your eyes.

“whatever happened is really eating at ya, isn’t it?” He slid onto one of the barstools, “you don’t have to tell me, but i’ll listen if you want.”

You frowned and shook your head. You were being quite the hypocrite, weren’t you? You had _just_ told Blue that he needed to talk to his brother about what was bothering him, and there you were, stewing in your own frustrations. You could just go talk to Sans and Papyrus. You were sure that they would be more than happy to talk to you. Even if Sans in particular wasn’t going to say anything to you, you didn’t think that Papyrus would lie to you.

“Sorry, Rus, but you aren’t the skeleton that I need to talk to right now. Although, I would appreciate it if you kept an eye on the stove while I go look for Sans and Papyrus.”

He stared at you for a second before giving an almost unnoticeable nod, “i’ll try to keep an eye socket out.”

You set the spoon on the counter and gave him a nod, “Alright, thank you. I’ll be right back. Please make sure my kitchen stays as fire-free as possible.”

He chuckled as you turned and began upstairs. You stomped a bit more than you meant to as you ascended the steps. As you reached the top, you glanced down an empty hallway.

Papyrus’s door was your first stop. A soft knock echoed off of the wood, though there was no answer. You didn’t think Papyrus was in his room.

With a small sigh, you wandered over to Sans’s room and knocked in a soft rhythm. There was a moment where nothing happened, though it was followed by the sound of shuffling on the other side. The door was cracked open without a knock-knock joke, much to your surprise (and maybe to your relief).

It was Papyrus that peered out at you.

“AH! HELLO MISS (Y/N)! ME AND SANS WILL BE DOWN FOR DINNER SOON!” You could tell that he was about to shut the door, so you quickly shook your head.

“No, no. I need to talk with you two,” You insisted.

He stopped and looked down at you for a second before tensely opening the door all of the way. He took a step back and gestured you inside. You followed, and took a second to look over the room.

Sans sat on his bed, looking at you with an uncertainty that you hadn’t seen in a while from him. That kind of hurt you.

You ignored the odd whirlwind of garbage somehow taking up the corner of his room, and you would have to be confused about the treadmill later. You made a beeline for his bed and took a seat next to him. His eyes never left you, but he made no move to stop you or shift away.

“I need to know about that letter,” you began. Neither of them seemed surprised that you were there about that. “You guys kind of found that in my house, and if it really was from my uncle, then it wasn’t yours to open, and it most certainly wasn’t yours to take, even if it seemed unimportant.”

When neither of them said anything, you glanced between them sternly. Sans kept giving you that look, but Papyrus was actively doing his best to avoid your eyes, instead taking to looking down at the floor. You felt bad for making him feel guilty, but-

No! No you didn’t! They were hiding something from you! Of course he was feeling guilt!

“I would actually really like to have it, please.” You looked back at Sans, crossing your arms and issuing him a challenging look.

“sorry, but i can’t do that.” Sans shrugged and shook his head.

“You _can’t_? Or you won’t?”

“both.” The only thing he was doing was further aggravating you.

“Sans. That isn’t funny. It really bothered me when you guys did that.” You tried to reason with him.

“I’M SORRY, BUT MY BROTHER IS RIGHT. WE REALLY CAN’T GIVE THE LETTER TO YOU.” Papyrus still avoided your gaze, which was slowly becoming a glare.

“Why not?! I’m so sick and tired of being in the dark on everything! I really don’t know why you guys insist on hiding things from me!” You hadn’t meant to start shouting at them. You immediately had to fight feeling bad about how upset Papyrus looked.

“I’m So Sorry, But-“

“the letter wasn’t for you. it was addressed to us.” Sans interrupted his brother.

You felt your anger ebb away into confusion, “...what?”

“unless you happen to be one of the ‘skeletons’ it was written for, then i’m actually very sure that it’s our letter.” Sans explained.

You didn’t understand. What did he mean by that? How could it have been addressed to them?

“YES,” papyrus added, “AND I’M AFRAID THAT IT WAS EXPRESSLY REQUESTED THAT WE ARE NOT TO SHARE THE LETTER’S CONTENTS WITH YOU!”

You were still having trouble processing the fact that a mysterious letter in your house was supposedly addressed to your housemates. How could that be? There was absolutely no way that could have been even remotely possible. And according to Papyrus, apparently whatever was written expressly said that you couldn’t know what was written on it. This whole situation was absurd.

“I don’t understand,” you told them, shaking your head. “How is that- I mean, that doesn’t make any sense.” It really didn’t, but something told you that they weren’t lying.

“yeah, well, i can tell you that we don’t like it any more than you do.” Sans stood up, “i didn’t really care for what was on it, either. there’s nothing i can do about it, though. even if there was, it wouldn’t matter.”

Woah, where had that come from? He had sounded so… resigned. You didn’t like that one bit.

“Hey now, that’s not right. Of course what you do matters. Why would you think that it doesn’t?” Your anger had completely ebbed away at that point, leaving behind a confused concern for your friends.

He stared at you for a second before shaking his head, “it’s not important. let’s just go down and eat, yeah?” He didn’t give you a chance to answer, instead making his way out of the room. Your eyes followed him, a frown set on your face.

You looked over at Papyrus, only to see that he was watching his brother’s retreating form in concern. He glanced over at you, though the concern remained.

“I’m Sorry.” He muttered out.

You sighed, “There’s nothing to apologize for, Paps. I’m not mad at you.” You bit your lip in thought and looked up at Papyrus, “Are you guys mad at _me_? I don’t know what it said, but I-“

”OF COURSE WE AREN’T MAD AT YOU!” Papyrus grabbed you by the shoulders and leaned down so that he was at your level, “YOU HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING WRONG!” You weren’t too surprised when he pulled you into a hug. You wrapped your arms around him without hesitation, burying your face into his shirt. “I KNOW THAT THINGS ARE COMPLICATED FOR YOU RIGHT NOW, BUT I CAN PROMISE YOU THAT NO ONE IS UPSET WITH YOU. WE ALL JUST-“ his voice lowered as he pulled away from you enough to look at you with a gentle smile.

”We All Really Care About You. We Want You To Be Safe, And More Importantly, We Want You To Be Happy. I Am Very Sorry That We Made You Worry.”

you rested your hands on his arms, which were still settled around you. You could feel the distinct sting of tears building, but you shook them off, giving Papyrus a smile. How was he always so genuine and kind? There were a lot of things that you were unsure about, but if there was one thing you knew you could always, _always_ count on, it was Papyrus. 

You let out a watery chuckle and gave him an affectionate pat on the arm, “Let’s go get dinner.” He looked you over for a second before giving a nod and following you downstairs.

 


	52. Grapes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find a way to stop the tension. It works better than you thought it would.

It wasn’t necessarily surprising when there was a tense atmosphere that had fallen over the dining room table as your motley crew of skeletons sat around it, but it was a bit disappointing. You sighed and dropped your spoon into your bowl with a clatter. Why did it feel like you were the only one that ever put any effort into resolving anything in this house?

Whether or not you were bitter about it, you wanted everything to go back to normal. 

So, you decided to do the first thing that came to your mind in order to stop the tension. You stood up and made your way back into the kitchen, gaining a few confused looks as you went. You made a beeline for the fridge, and pulled it open, quickly finding what you had been looking for. You grabbed it and made your way back, taking your seat and plopping the bag on the table in front of you. 

“uh, no offense doll, but i don’t really think that grapes go with soup.” Red was eyeing you with confusion.

“I dunno, Red. I think they’re pretty  _ grape _ .” You shot him a wink. If you needed to break the tension with childish antics, then that was exactly what you were going to do. 

“NO! THAT ONE WASN’T EVEN CLEVER!” Black crossed his arms and scowled at you. 

“i dunno. i thought it was berry good.” Stretch shrugged, a lazy grin on his face.

You chuckled at the collective groan that overtook the table. You looked over at Blue. Your smile dropped slightly as you noticed that he was staring down at the table in front of him thoughtfully. 

“Hey, Blue!” You took a handful of grapes out of the bag. When he turned his attention to you, you grinned and tossed one in the air. You followed it with your eyes and caught it in your mouth without too much of an issue. You looked back at him with a grin and held up another grape. “Open your mouth.”

He raised a brow at you, but returned your grin and did it nonetheless. You took a second to try to line up your aim. It didn’t help, though. As soon as you tossed it, you knew it would miss. Blue seemed to take that as a challenge and made a dramatic dive out of his seat for the fruit as it flew through the air. You made a noise of surprise as you heard him hit the ground.

“I GOT IT!!” Blue quickly stood up, striking a victorious pose. You couldn’t help but laugh. 

“OH! OH! DO ME NEXT!” You nodded at Papyrus as he stood up. Very similarly to how you had with Blue, you narrowed your eyes in concentration before tossing a grape in his direction. He caught it with an ease you hadn’t been expecting despite your bad aim.

You snickered and plucked another grape from the bag, glancing between your friends as you tossed it in your hand thoughtfully. Your eyes landed on Sans. 

You gave him a fiendish smile, “Think fast!” You threw it unceremoniously in his direction. 

He held up his hand, and the grape stopped right before it could hit him. You were enthralled as it floated in the space in front of him. Magic was so cool. You were almost disappointed when the slight glow flickered away, and the grape dropped into his open hand. He ate it completely normally.

“Aw, come on Sans. That’s cheating.” You complained to him playfully. He shrugged, but was giving you a mischievous smirk. You stuck out your tongue at him. 

Your attention was brought back to the table as the bag of grapes were taken from you by Black, who was sitting across from you. You raised a brow at him.

“I AM MORE THAN CAPABLE OF TOSSING MY OWN GRAPES!” You couldn’t help but snicker at his claim. 

“WELL I, FOR ONE, THANK THAT THE LOT OF YOU ARE ACTING LIKE CHILDREN.” Edge crossed his arms and turned up his non-existent nose at the table of skeletons.

“We’re just having some fun, Edge!” You lunged forward to grab more grapes, only to lob one at the tall skeleton. It bounced off of his jacket with a dull thud and disappeared somewhere under the table. 

He blinked at you in surprise. “Did You Just-“ you threw another one, but this time, he caught it in his hand just as it was about to hit him. 

He eyed you before sighing, though you didn’t miss the smirk that crossed his face. 

“YOU IMBECILES AREN’T EVEN DOING ANYTHING IMPRESSIVE,” he leveled a challenge to everyone at the table before tossing the grape he had caught, much to your delight. 

You watched in a quiet anticipation as the grape nearly hit the ceiling before coming back down. Edge easily caught it in his mouth and gave you a bored look as if he hadn’t just accomplished something you could only dream of. You found yourself grinning at him, a small noise of excitement escaping you. 

“THAT WASN’T  _ THAT  _ IMPRESSIVE,” Black claimed before grabbing his own and eyeing it with contemplation. 

He looked back over at you and smirked. He threw stood up before putting his arms behind him and throwing the grape up from behind him. He didn’t break eye contact with you until he leaned back and caught it in his teeth. He looked back at you with a triumphant smirk, the grape still caught between his pointed teeth.

Your were sure that your jaw had dropped. If your eyes were capable of changing shape in the way that theirs were, you were absolutely certain that they would be stars. 

“You guys are so cool!”

“WELL OF COURSE WE ARE!” Papyrus struck a heroic pose, “WE ARE YOUR VERY COOL AND AMAZING FRIENDS!”

You chuckled, “Of course you guys are. I don’t know what I’d do without my very spectacular skeletons.”

“you’d probably end up in a gutter somewhere or somethin’,” Red smirked at you playfully.

“RED!” Someone chastised him. 

You snickered and rolled your eyes at him, “A real charmer, aren’t you?” You punctuated that by tossing a grape at him. It was likely safe to assume that he hadn’t been expecting you to do that as the grape sailed through the air…

… and directly into his eye socket. 

He froze almost immediately, the lights in his eyes disappearing. You tensed up as the room fell into a silence. What… what were you supposed to do in this situation? The grape  _ fell into his eye socket.  _ How were you supposed to handle that? Was it a normal thing for them??

“I’m so sorry! Uh, are you-“ your nervous question was cut off by the sound of barely concealed laughter coming from more than one skeleton at the table. You found yourself glancing over at Sans questioningly. 

That seemed to be his breaking point as a loud laugh escaped from him. He was followed by the rest of the table. With a quick glance around, you let yourself relax a bit at seeing that even Papyrus was grinnin and lightly biting down a finger to stop himself from laughing at Red’s expense. 

You turned back to Red, “Do you, uh… need… help?” You were already reaching awkwardly across the table, though you were unsure about what you could do.

A deep red settled across his cheekbones, “eye really wish you hadn’t done that, doll.” Well, if he was joking about it, it couldn’t have been that bad.

“your aim is pretty grape.” Stretch managed to get out between laughs.

“PAPY! YOU ALREADY USED THAT ONE!” Blue complained, crossing his arm over his chest and shaking his head.

“it is pretty important to rec _ eye _ cle,” Sans shrugged and shot out a wink. Even you let out a groan at his pun. 

“great. i’m so glad that we can all laugh at my misery.” Red reaches up and began awkwardly poking ath his eye socket. 

You stared at him in mild curiosity. Was he just going to reach in his eye socket? You would imagine that would be painful for him, or uncomfortable at the very least. 

“would ya stop watchin’ me? you’re makin’ it awkward.” 

You yanked your gaze away, a blush covering your face as you apologized to him. Yeah, you supposed that you wouldn’t want an audience either. Though, you also didn’t really have anything to compare that two because, well, you weren’t a skeleton. 

You stared down at the table, “Are you sure that there’s nothing I can do to help? I feel really bad about tossing something in your eye.”

He chuckled, “not unless you wanna shove your hand in my eye socket.” 

“sounds kinky.” You sputtered in shock and gave Rus an owlish look. He was leaning on his elbows, giving the two of you an almost disinterested look. 

“Wha-  _ Rus! _ ” You shook your head, but couldn’t seem to formulate anything more than an admonishing, “No!” You felt your face flush.

His amusement seemed to increase at your response if the smirk he shot you was anything to go by. You shook your head at him and stuck out your tongue at him. 

“MAYBE IT WOULD BE BEST IF YOU REFRAINED FROM THROWING THINGS IN OUR EYES IN THE FUTURE,” Papyrus pointed out through a chuckle.

“Well, I mean,” you began, “I didn’t mean to! I didn’t even really think about it. It’s not like that’s a problem I have on the regular.” You gestured wildly to your own eyes. You ran a hand through your hair and glanced back at Red briefly. “Ah, geez. I’m sorry.”

“ ‘s fine. not the first time it’s happened, and it probably won’t be the last.” Red mumbled to you. That only managed to peek our curiosity. How often did this happen? 

“it’s nothing to worry about, sweetheart. it may be a bit uncomfortable, but it’s happened to all of us. we can handle it,” Sans reassured you. 

“HE IS RIGHT!” Papyrus chipped in. “IN FACT, A GRAPE IS NOT THAT BAD! WHEN WE FIRST GOT TO THE SURFACE,”

“wait, paps, maybe don’t-“

“SANS WAS NAPPING IN THE PARK AND SOMEHOW MANAGED TO GET AN ENTIRE BUTTERFLY STUCK IN HIS SKULL!” Papyrus finished despite Sans’ interruption.

You looked over at said skeleton in surprise. He let out an awkward chuckle as his face turned blue and he refused to look at you.

“right. i’m gonna take that as my cue to leave.” He stood up and promptly disappeared.

You looked back at Papyrus in wonder, “An entire butterfly? How does that even happen?”

“WELL, IT  _ WAS  _ A PRETTY SMALL BUTTERFLY,” he clarified, though it didn’t really change much. “AS TO HOW, WELL… I’M… NOT ENTIRELY SURE. BUT IT WAS MOST CERTAINLY QUITE THE HASSLE TO GET IT OUT!”

You chuckled at the mental picture of Sans having a butterfly trapped in his skull. Yeah, you can imagine that may have been quite the predicament. You hoped that the poor bug got out of it okay, but, knowing Papyrus, it was safe to assume that no harm had come to it. 

“well shit. that sounds like an awful time,” Red pointed out after successfully extracting the grape from his skull. He shuddered, “i don’t even want to think about havin’ something crawlin’ around in there.”

There was a general nod of agreement from around the room. You couldn’t relate, but found yourself nodding along anyways. That truely did sound miserable. 

Your attention shifted to the bag of grapes. Maybe it was time to put those away for the night. Just as you were about to grab them, however, they were snatched away. You gave Black a questioning look.

“WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT? DO YOU THINK I’D LET HIS DISCOMFORT STOP ME FROM FIGURING OUT WHO IS THE BEST AT THIS?” He wiggled the bag of grapes, “IT IS OBVIOUSLY ME, BUT IT WOULD BE POOR SPORTSMANSHIP TO KEEP THE OTHERS FROM GIVING THEIR BEST SHOTS AT MASTERING YOUR GRAPE PUZZLE.”

“Grape puzzle? It’s not a-“ you interrupted yourself with a chuckle. “Y’know what? Go for it. Just take it outside so that you don’t break anything, yeah?”

He gave you a very serious nod before rushing out of the room, bag in hand. He was followed by Blue, who gave you one last fleeting glance, and Edge, who claimed he was going ‘just be sure that the imbeciles didn’t break anything’. Papyrus smiled at you and gave you a pat on the arm before leaving for your yard, as well. 

You let out a sigh and slumped down in your seat. Well, you were glad that you managed to get rid of all that tension. You just hoped that you wouldn’t need to do that very much anymore. If you were really lucky, maybe you wouldn’t even have to deal with any silly little arguments. 

As if on cue, a loud argument could be heard from outside. You buried your face in your hands and let out a groan. Figures. Apparently one day off was asking for a bit too much around this house. 

But… the more you thought about that, the more you found that you didn’t mind. Your strange dysfunctional family meant a lot to you, and you were absolutely certain that you wouldn’t trade them for the world. 

“it looks like your hp’s gettin’ better.” Stretch pulled you from your thoughts. He leaned back in his seat, and his eyes were trained on the center of your chest.

“Yeah?” you tapped the table a few times in thought, “Do you think I’ll be well enough to leave again sometime soon?” 

He looked at you in surprise. You couldn’t really blame him, though. Even you were a bit surprised at yourself.

“do ya think you’re  _ ready  _ to do all a’ that again?” It was Rus that had asked the question, though his amused look and turned into a curious one as he looked you over. 

“Well, it’s not like I can put it off for too long. I’ll be- I’ll be fine.” You shrugged, “Besides, I think your universe was a bit of an outlier. I’m sure that the next one won’t have any murder kids.”

“you’d be surprised, doll.” Red grimaced, “i think we’ve all had plenty of run-ins with ‘murder kids’.”

You blinked at him in surprise. “Wait, you mean… that’s like, a normal thing for you guys?” You were almost appalled by that information. When none of them answered you, you winced. “Right, well. I guess that doesn’t matter. I still need to go. I just can’t risk it, y’know. I can’t… I don’t want to have any more lives on my hands. I have to try.”

“it’s not your fault. you were put in a really bad situation, and you’re doing your best,” it was Red that made the effort to comfort you, much to your surprise. “i think you should go whenever you think you’re ready to go.”

You gave him a gentle smile, “Thank you. Really. Thank you all. You do… more for me than you know.”

Red wiggled his brows at you, “oh, we  _ do something  _ for ya, do we?”

You snorted, “Okay, never mind. Moment ruined, I’m going to bed.” You snickered as you stood up. 

“you want company?” Rus shot you a wink. This was it. This was the worst possible combination of skeletons you could have possibly got. 

You pretended to consider it for a second before shaking your head, “Nope, I think I’m good. Thanks for the offer, though.”

“anytime, darlin’.” 

You scoffed playfully before turning around and leaving. You stooped when you reached the doorway and looked back at the three remaining skeletons in your kitchen. 

“Night, guys.” You didn’t bother waiting for their replies before disappearing upstairs for the night. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You needed some mandatory bonding time?? I dunno, this one was really just filler. 
> 
> Hope you guys like it anyways!


	53. To the Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You decide to hop on over to another universe once more.

“and you’re sure that you want to do this right now?” Sans asked, giving you one more look over. “i mean, we haven’t even done anything else with your magic yet. maybe you should at least-“

“Sans,” you snickered, “I’ll be alright. I promise. And if I’m not, well,” you held up your phone and gave it a little wiggle, “I know that I can ask for help from you guys. Not to mention the fact that I can just leave any hypothetical danger if I really need to.”

You had already made up your mind the night before, and you doubted that they would really sway your resolve. You had taken a long enough break, and had become anxious about leaving a universe to suffer its fate while you sat around. No, you couldn’t just wait around and let more people disappear.

He sighed and shook his head, “i just don’t think it’s a good idea, sweetheart.”

“i think i gotta agree with vanilla on this one,” Red added, “there’s a line between bravery and recklessness that you’ve been havin’ a whole lotta trouble with lately. but, if you really think you wanna go, i ain’t gonna stop ya.”

You crossed your arms, “I don’t think I’d call it bravery either way.”

“OH, I DISAGREE! I THINK THAT YOU’RE VERY BRAVE!” Papyrus rested a hand on your shoulder. “THOUGH, I DO DO THINK THAT YOU’RE A BIT, WELL-“

“YOU’RE SELF-SACRIFICIAL AS ALL SHIT.” Black interrupted, “AND I DON’T EVEN THINK YOU REALIZE IT.”

You sighed and shoved your hand in your pocket, gently running your thumb along the etchings in the watch. They weren’t wrong, and you knew it. You just… you wanted everyone to be safe and happy.

“I still have to do this. I’m sorry. I just want-“ you shook your head and pulled the watch out of your pocket, “I just want this to be over. I can’t keep doing this forever, and I really can’t keep putting it off.”

Sans rubbed at the back of his skull and sighed, “yeah, i know. ‘s just not fair that you have to do any of this.”

“Oh trust me. _I know_ that. But, I can’t really do anything about it, so I may as well go along with it.” You could have sworn you saw him wince at the last bit. Before you could question it though, your attention was shifted as someone else spoke up.

“AND YOU'RE SURE YOU DON’T WANT TO TAKE ONE OF US WITH YOU?” Blue asked, giving you a concerned look.

“As sure as I have been every time you guys have asked me that question. Even though you can handle yourselves, I can’t do that. I can’t put you guys in danger like that. There’s still too much that I’m unsure about, and I’m just not willing to risk you guys.”

“BUT YOU’RE WILLING TO THROW YOURSELF HEADFIRST INTO DANGER.” Edge pointed out, crossing his arms.

You found yourself sighing and shaking your head. Maybe you should have just left. Telling them that you were leaving was more of a courtesy at this point, anyways. But, you would feel really bad if you disappeared and worried them, so you had wanted to let them know.

Heh. Look where that got you.

“look, sweetheart. we aren’t gonna stop you from going, but just promise us that you’ll at least _try_ to be safe.” Sans gave you a tight smile.

“YES,” Papyrus rushed over to you and scooped you up into a hug, twirling you around. You couldn’t fight the smile as you wrapped your arms around him in turn. “PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WE REALLY CARE ABOUT YOU, AND WE WOULD BE DEVASTATED IF ANYTHING WERE TO HAPPEN TO YOU!” After one more spin, he set you back on your feet.

You knew exactly what Papyrus was doing, and it was still most certainly working. You looked up at him and gave him a resolute nod.

“I’ll do my best.” You told him, and you meant it.

He gave you a soft smile, “I DON’T DOUBT IT!”

You glanced around the room, “Anyone else have any input before I go? Any more warnings? Requests for souvenirs, maybe?”

“ACTUALLY,” Black began, “I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE _SOUVENIR_ YOU TOOK FROM OUR UNIVERSE.” When you gave him a confused look, he continued, “DO YOU STILL HAVE THAT KNIFE?”

The room went still as the monsters in it looked over at you.

Your face scrunched up as you clicked open the watch. “Oh! I forgot that I had that. You pressed a button on the side, and the little interface that let you see all of the items that were being held magically popped up. Huh. You forgot that you had most of those things in there. Oh well. At least you knew where you had put your headphones now.

You found what you were looking for and poked at it.

***Real Knife- 99 ATK**

***This doesn’t belong to you.**

“Does this thing usually give descriptions like that?” You asked, carefully looking over the words that had appeared.

“yup,” Rus looked over your shoulder to read what it said, leaning heavily on you as he did so. “though it’s kinda funny that it says that. the description is usually a person to person kinda thing.”

You hummed and looked over at Black, “Did you want it or something?”

He quickly shook his head, “NO! WHY WOULD I WANT THAT USELESS THING?” After snapping at you, he rolled on his feet, tucking his arms behind him, “TAKE IT WITH YOU SO THAT YOU WON’T BE COMPLETELY DEFENSELESS.”

“Uh,” you closed the interface, watching as the little icons disappeared. “I mean, I’ll take it with me, but I really don’t want to stab anybody.”

He scoffed, “IT’D JUST BE A STAB WOUND. WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?”

You eyed Black skeptically, “I can’t tell if you’re joking or not.” When he didn’t bother following up on that, you cleared your throat and shook your head, “Right, well, I guess I’ll see you guys later?”

You were suddenly pulled into a hug by Blue, “OF COURSE! YOU’LL HAVE TO TELL US ALL ABOUT IT WHEN YOU GET BACK!”

You chuckled as another pair of arms looped around the two of you. Papyrus didn’t hesitate in scooping you off of your feet and twirling around one more time. It seemed as though he was in a particularly huggy mood. Your chuckling turned into a bubbling laughter as you were set back on your feet. You gave Papyrus’s arm a gentle pat as he let you go.

You looked back at Blue and gave him a resolute nod, “I will.” He smiled at that and gave you a thumbs up.

You took a step back from everyone and took a deep breath. You looked down at the watch, gently running your finger along the edge before steeling your nerves and activating it.

You felt the odd shift that happened every time, thought seeing the whiteness that came with the jump was stopped by how tightly you had shut your eyes. You focused on the strange weightlessness that happened in the split second between universes.

Even when your feet suddenly hit solid ground, you were hesitant to open your eyes. Something felt off. Why was the weight still odd? Sure, your feet were on the ground, but you felt almost… lighter.

You peeked open an eye and looked down at the ground. It was some kind of dark blue stone. There were a few rocks scattered around that were oddly silvery blue. That was odd. Usually, you ended up in Snowdin when you switched universes, and it didn’t really look like waterfall either. Then you looked up from the ground in confusion and froze as soon as your eyes rested on your surroundings.

“ _Oh, wow_ ,” you couldn’t help but let out a breathy gasp at the sight all around you.

You had never seen so many stars in your entire life. They covered nearly every inch of the sky, and even the spaces in between the closer stars was dusted with light blues and purples. You had no idea that there was anywhere that could look like that apart from space itself. It was absolutely breathtaking.

But… where were you? You couldn’t have been in the underground. Were the monsters already on the surface in this universe?

You tore your gaze from the sky and glanced around at the ground once more in an attempt to figure out where you were. It looked almost as if you were standing on a path that had drop-offs on either side of it. Against your better judgement, you inched over towards the edge and glanced over.

There were more stars twinkling below you. And if you looked in the distance, you could almost make out what seemed to be large floating shapes obscuring parts of the sky.

No, there was no way. It was absolutely impossible. You had seen gravity magic, and teleportation, and healing magic, but _this_ was something else entirely. You couldn’t have possibly _actually_ been in space. Everything you knew about space went against that possibility. You could still breathe, after all.

You looked back up and couldn’t help but suck in another breath in amazement. You didn’t have any other explanation. You never thought that you would find yourself off of your planet, but here you were...

_In space._

You didn’t bother holding back the giddy squeal that came out of you. Your grin widened as you ran over to inspect one of the fancy space rock. You glanced around before pocketing one of them. You bit your lip before picking up another one.

You _had_ offered to bring back souvenirs, and you knew that the boys would absolutely love space rocks.

Naturally, you took the opportunity to collect as many as you could, even going so far as to put a few in your Dimensional Box… Okay, maybe you filled your entire magic storage with fancy rocks. But who could blame you, really?

Once you were satisfied with the weight in your pockets, you continued along the path. As much as you would love to stare at the sky for the rest of the night, you had a job to do here. You couldn’t afford to waste too much time, space or not.

The path was pretty straightforward, but it stretched on in both directions, leaving you to pick one at random. You just had to hope that you were going the right way to get to where you needed to be.

...wherever that was.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! Sorry this one’s so short! The next chapter will most certainly be longer!
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading!


	54. Scarves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find yourself in space.

A gentle smile found its way onto your face as you wandered up the pathway. You knew what was at stake, and you knew that time really was of the essence, but you couldn’t help but revel in the atmosphere. Everything was just so…breathtaking. It had a certain tranquility about it that was hard to come by, especially for you.

So, despite your quick pace, you took the time to take it all in. You didn’t stop walking, but you appreciated the sounding your shoes clacking against the strange stone, and the smell of the cold air, and the odd light feeling that put an extra spring in your step.

“Hey, lady!” The sudden shout caused you to jump with a start. You looked around the area, but you didn’t see anyone. Where had that-

“I’m down here! I could really use a hand.” It sounded like a kid.

You moved over to the edge and peeked down to see a familiar face looking up at you helplessly. It was this universe’s version of Frisk, and they were just… floating.

“Hi,” they greeted you, giving an awkward wave. “I kind of got too close to the edge, and, well,” they trailed off, looking away from you sheepishly.

“It’s okay. I gotcha.” You chuckled and dropped  down to your stomach, reaching out for them. You didn’t have any luck. They were too far out. You tapped the ground a few times in thought. You needed to find a way to reach them.

… oh!

You sat up and quickly unraveled your scarf, tugging it over your head as you did so. You reached down again, this time with your scarf hanging in your hand. Frisk reached up for it, their fingers barely grazing it. They tried a second time, and grabbed a hold of it before tugging with all of their might.

Admittedly, you hadn’t been expecting them to do that. While they did accomplish their goal of pulling themselves up to you, they also pulled your scarf right out of your hand.

You grabbed a hold of their arms as soon as you could and tugged them back on the platform next to you. The strange gravity made that much easier than you had thought it was going to be.

Once they were safe, your gaze moved over to your scarf, which you watched float away into the emptiness of space.

“Aw, man,” you complained. “That was my favorite one.” At least it wasn’t Papyrus’s. That would have been a hard one to explain when you got back home.

“I’m sorry, miss.” Frisk was still in your grasp as it’s momentum took it far enough to ruin any and all hope of getting it back. You looked down at the kid.

“Hey, that’s okay. I’d rather have some dumb scarf floating around out there than you.” You let them go and gave them a quick once over. It didn’t look like they were hurt. “You okay?”

They nodded, “Yeah, I-“

“WAIT! HOLD ON!” Both you and Frisk looked over at the new (and familiar) voice. It didn’t come as too much of a surprise when you saw Papyrus rushing up to the two of you. He came to a skidding halt in front of the two of you.  

You couldn’t help but admire the change in color scheme this universe’s Papyrus was sporting. The blues and golds suited him very well. Though, you did have to hold back a chuckle at the space theme that it had.

“YOU ARE HUMANS!” He rested one gloved hand on his hip, and the other sat proudly on his chest,” I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!” His scarf fluttered in the wind dramatically, only to drop when he dropped his hand. He looked suddenly sheepish as he let out a small chuckle, “I SAW WHAT HAPPENED. I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT GETTING HERE SOONER.”

“It’s no big deal,” you shook your head, “Everyone’s safe, so there was no harm done.”

“Well, you did lose your scarf,” Frisk pointed out with a shrug.

“OH DEAR,” Papyrus fretted. He rolled on his feet a bit, looking out in the direction of where your scarf had disappeared. He seemed to consider something for a second before nodding to himself. “THEN I SUPPOSE IT IS A GOOD THING THAT I AM HERE!”

You watched in curiosity as he unfurled his own scarf from around his neck and looped it around you. You took a second to admire it. It was a deep blue with gold trim, and at the bottom, there were tiny stars and constellations embroidered in it.

You looked back up at Papyrus in surprise, “But, this is yours! You barely even know me!”

“WELL THEN WE SHOULD FIX THAT, SHOULDN’T WE?” Papyrus held out his hand to you, “IT’S VERY NICE TO MEET YOU!”

You took his hand without question, giving him your name as you did so. “I still don’t think I want to take your scarf from you.”

He let out a hum, “HOW ABOUT YOU JUST HOLD ON TO IT WHILE WE WALK. I HAVE MANY QUESTIONS FOR THE TWO OF YOU.” He promptly turned and began heading back the way he had come from. “IT’S NOT EVERYDAY YOU FIND A HUMAN OUT HERE, AFTER ALL!”

You and Frisk glanced over at each other curiously before following behind the tall skeleton. That… was a good point. You had a lot of questions, as well. You were glad that Papyrus had decided that walking and talking was the best way to go about it, though. You weren’t sure how much time you had, and as much as you wanted to, you weren’t very keen on wasting much more of it.

“HOW _DID_ YOU TWO GET OUT HERE, ANYWAYS?” He asked, throwing a glance over his shoulder at you. You found yourself looking over at Frisk. That was a good question. How did a kid end up in space?

Seeing that both of you were staring at them, they shrugged. “Rocket,” it sounded as though they thought it was the most obvious answer. Somehow, it seemed more outlandish than your reason, but then again, maybe you were just starting to get used to the whole ‘traveling between dimensions’ thing.

“Really?” You asked them. When they nodded, you pulled your gaze back to Papyrus, “Well, I’m, uh. Not really from this universe.” Your face scrunched up, “I mean, like another dimension, I guess? I’ve met a few different versions of you and your brother, actually.”

He stopped walking and looked back at you in surprise, “YOU ARE?! WOWIE! I NEVER THOUGHT I’D MEET SOMEONE WHO CAN DO THAT!”

“What are you doing here?” Frisk asked you curiously, “If you can travel to other universes, why come to this one?”

You shook your head, “It wasn’t really my choice. I’m here because I need to be. Something… bad is happening to your universe, and I’m here to try and fix it.”

They both seemed to consider your words for a second before Papyrus spoke, “SOMETHING BAD? LIKE WHAT KIND OF SOMETHING BAD?”

“Like the kind that’ll make your whole universe just… stop existing.”

Papyrus blinked over at you, “YOU MEAN LIKE THAT WALL OF WHITE?”

You stopped in your tracks, your breath getting caught in your throat. “I’m sorry, the what now?!” He couldn’t possibly be talking about what you thought he was. You hadn't taken that long, had you?

“YES! THE GIANT WALL OF WHITE! MOST OF US HAVE BEEN AVOIDING IT, THOUGH I DO HAVE TO SAY IT’S BEEN GETTIN BIGGER AT A WORRYING RATE.” Papyrus explained, tapping his chin with a gloved finger as he did so. “THE KING AND ALPHYS ACTUALLY DECIDED THAT IT WOULD BE BEST TO KEEP ALL OF THE CITIZENS AWAY FROM IT.” That sounded like it was exactly what you didn’t want it to be.

You let out a small breath, “And nobody got hurt? Nobody went into it, right?”

“NOT THAT I KNOW OF! WHY? WHAT WOULD HAPPEN?” You got the feeling that he knew, at least somewhat.

“Well, I’ve only seen it happen once, but…” you flinched at the memory, “It didn’t end well, that’s for sure.”

Papyrus eyed you curiously before a grin took over his face, “IT’S A GOOD THING YOU’RE HERE, THEN!” He grabbed your arm and began tugging you along, “WE ARE VERY LUCKY TO HAVE SOMEONE TO HELP IF IT’S AS DANGEROUS AS IT SEEMS!”

You ran a hand through your hair. He was putting way too much faith in you. But, well, how could you tell him that you had only successfully saved one? The correct answer was that you couldn’t. Maybe it was selfish of you, but you didn’t want to tell him about all of the times that you had messed it up.

So, instead, you let out an awkward chuckle, “Yeah. Right.”

At your reluctant agreement, he began tugging you away once more, though this time, he seemed to have a set destination in mind. You could probably wager a guess as to where that was, and you couldn’t say that you were looking forward to it.

Well, at least you didn’t have to search for it this time around, you supposed. Instead, you were just going to be dragged to a giant wall of imminent doom.

It actually wasn’t very long before you noticed it, either. It stood out like a sore thumb against the darker sky. It was disconcerting to say the least. You needed to do something about it quickly, before it could spread anymore than it already had. _That_ would be really, really bad. You already felt like you had taken too much time off, and that was why it was already covering so much.

So, you rushed towards it at Papyrus’s side. You could hear the softer footsteps of Frisk just behind you.

“So, what’s keeping all of the people away from it?” You asked as you jogged slightly to keep up with him. Curse his long legs.

“THE ROYAL GUARD, MOSTLY!” He explained.

“and me. I help a bit with keeping the riff-raff out.” You nearly jumped out of your skin at the voice. After stumbling on your feet, you caught yourself and turned to see this universe’s Sans. He was giving you a smug grin.

“Why are you like this in _every_ universe?” Oh. You hadn’t meant to say that out loud. Whatever, you were planning on telling him anyways.

He gave you an odd look, “uh. i don’t… know? sorry?”

You sighed and shook your head, though you gave him a small smile as you did so. “Right. Of course you don’t. It’s just a very ‘Sans’ thing to do.” You gave him your name as you continued along, “I’m from a different universe.”

He seemed uncomfortable with that information, “how did you get here?”

You wiggled your fingers, “Mmmmagic.” You set down your hands and continued walking, “Though it also could be crazy science. I’m still not entirely sure.”

“Either way, I’m here because _that_ ,” you pointed to the large portion of white that you were quickly approaching, “is here.”

Sans kept pace alongside you, “we don’t even know what that is, and you’re saying you came from another universe to stop it?”

“Yes, that is exactly what I said. Thank you for the recap.” You winced, “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be short with you, I just explained this, and I really don’t like having to do it anyways.”

There was a moment of silence before Papyrus interjected, “HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU DONE THIS BEFORE?”

You bit at your lip, “Four?” Your voice wavered a bit.

“and how many of them have you gotten rid of… that in?” Sans asked you skeptically.

Oh boy did you really not want to answer that question. You did anyways with a small voice, “one.”

Sans stopped walking altogether for a second before he caught up again. “one,” he repeated.

“I know, I know. But I’ll try my best to stop the same thing from happening to this universe. I don’t want to let it die.”

No, it was more than that. You **_refused._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one’s so short! I meant for it to be a bit longer, but I ended up not having a whole lot of time to do it the way I had planned to. Hope you guys like it, anyways!


	55. Stardust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another universe, another problem.

With a newfound spark of determination, you looked up at Papyrus, “I need to get there as soon as I can. The longer I wait, the harder it’s going to be for me to stop.”

“WELL THEN WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?!” Papyrus asked you, a large grin on his face as he proceeded to rush ahead of you. You glanced back at Sans and Frisk before following behind him.

The closer you got to the virus, the more nervous you became. Your thoughts started to spiral downwards once more. These monsters were relying on you. What if you couldn’t do it? What if you let them down? You couldn’t do that. Not to this universe. There was just so much… potential for this universe. It was calm and it was breathtaking, and even just at a glance, you could tell that this version of Sans and Papyrus were far happier than any you had met thus far.

You couldn’t just let that disappear. They deserved so much better than that.

So, you took a deep breath to steel your nerves. Panicking about all of this was the wrong thing to do. If you had done it before, you could do it again.You repeated that phrase like a mantra in your head. Maybe if you repeated it enough times, you’d start to actually believe it.

Without any other words, your group made your way over to where you needed to be. You looked up at the ever growing blank space that looked more than just a little out of place. It looked like it had already taken over much more than you were comfortable with.

“SO, WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO?” Papyrus made sure to stand back from it, eying it wearily.

You glanced between him and his brother, “Just don’t get too close, okay?” He gave you an odd look before nodding and taking a step back.

You took a deep breath before stepping closer. You could do it. You just needed to concentrate. You took a second to focus on the sinking feeling that came with the area. You couldn’t let this universe die.

As you focused, there was a sharp tug in your chest. A soft gasp came from behind you as you felt it. You chanced a glance back in the direction of your little group to see that all three of them had small floating hearts in front of them, only one of which was not inverted.

“You…” Frisk glanced between you and their soul, “How did you do that?”

Before you could answer, Sans pitched in, “and can you put them back now?”

You shook your head, “I’m still working on that, actually.” You shrugged, “Last time, they kind of went back on their own.”

“okay, great. so how does this work then?” He began to cradle his soul, bringing it closer to his chest.

“Well, hope kind of seems to be the trend.” You pointed out.

“Hope?” Frisk seemed a bit more comfortable with having their soul out than the skeleton brothers did.

You nodded, “Yeah. That’s what I’ve been told, at least.”

Their face scrunched up, “Told? Told by who?”

“You,” you answered simply, “well a version of you, at least.” An all knowing, vaguely spooky version, but a version nonetheless.

They seemed to take a second to think about that before giving you a resolute nod. They looked over to the wall of white, their features set into that of a fierce determination.

“WELL? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?” Papyrus smiled at you, “WE KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!”

You returned the smile before spinning back around to face your task at hand. He was right. You had done it before, _you could do it again._

Your eyes fluttered closed as you focused on that feeling. Suddenly, it felt as though you were hit by a wave of emotions that weren’t yours. You were sent to the floor, almost reeling in shock from the harsh change.

Even so, you couldn’t stop now. The people in this universe were relying on you to help them, and you were so close. They deserved to keep their home. They deserved to live happily. This universe was a good one, and you would be damned if you let anything bad happen to it.

You could feel a warmth light up one your fingertips as you opened your eyes and stubbornly pushed yourself back up to your feet. Just the same as last time, you couldn’t actually see anything through the blinding white that had overtaken your vision.

And just as suddenly as it had all started, it stopped. You found yourself on the floor once more, even though you weren’t entirely sure when you had ended up down there. Your ears were ringing unpleasantly as you began trying to blink away the darkness that you saw.

You were vaguely aware of the fact that there were muffled voices covered by the ringing, but your brain was still in too much of a fog to figure out what was being said, or even if it was being said to you for that matter.

You jumped a bit when you felt a hand rest on your shoulder. A voice said something before you saw the blurry movement of what looked like a skeleton hand snapping in front of your face. You blinked at it once… then twice. You squinted at it for a second, trying to get your eyes back into focus.

“...lady, are… what…” Sans. It was Sans that was talking to you. But… some of the words sounded strange, as if you were hearing them through layers of static.

“I’m alright,” you mumbled before trying to push yourself up. Your arms shook slightly, which seemed to be just enough motivation for Sans to gently help you back to your feet.

“YOU’RE BLEEDING, MISS.” Papyrus pointed out. You blinked up at him in confusion. He tapped the area under his nasal cavity with a gloved hand. You mirrored his action only to pull your hand back and find that your fingers were, in fact, covered in red.

You dropped your hand back down to your side and ignored that in favor of looking back towards the area that had been taken over. In its place was an absolutely brilliant area of stars, and more bits of floating land masses. When you saw that it wasn't there anymore, you let out a breath of relief and slumped against Sans.

“I think I need a nap.” You deadpanned, taking a second to wipe the blood off of your face. You only really succeeded in smudging it around, though.

Sans chuckled, “i think i second that.”

“SANS!” Papyrus crossed his arms, “YOU ARE ALWAYS SLEEPING!” He then turned to you with a gentle expression, “Our House Is Always Open To You If You Need To Rest.”

You never failed to find yourself amazed at Papyrus, no matter the universe. You gave him a soft nod in response. “I think that I might just take you up on that offer.” You glanced over at Sans, “Uh, would you mind? I don’t think that me walking there is really in the picture right now.”

He looked at you in surprise, “are you sure?”

You nodded, “I’ve taken shortcuts before. I think I can handle it.”

He gave you a hesitant nod before wrapping his arms around you. You closed your eyes as you felt the familiar shift of teleportation, and you didn’t open them again until you felt your feet touch solid ground once more.

“we’re in pap’s room,” He explained before you even got the chance to look around.

When you did, though, you knew for sure that he was right. It looked very similar to your Papyrus’s room, complete with a bed shaped like a rocket ship and glow in the dark stars glued to the ceiling. You were led over to the bed and gently set down on it.

“get some sleep, stardust.” Sans gave you a smile.

“Stardust?” You questioned, though you were already starting to make yourself comfortable.his cheekbones lit up a pale blue, and if you looked closely, you could see tiny dots of color splattering acrossed it like stars. _How cute,_ your exhausted brain supplied.

Before he could answer, you continued, “Alright. But only if I get to give you guys nicknames in return.”

“yeah? what’re you thinkin’?”

A tired chuckle escaped from you, “Something space themed, probably.” Your eyes fluttered closed, despite your fighting to keep them open.

Sans’ voice lowered, as if he were afraid of disturbing you, “i look forward to it.”

The only thing you could reply with was a soft hum as you quickly drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! Sorry this chapter’s a bit short! I ended up really busy this week, but hopefully I can make it up with an extra long chapter next week!


	56. Worry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whoops. You slept for far too long.

When you blinked open your eyes, you were hit with a momentary wave of confusion. This… wasn’t your room. 

“OH! YOU’RE AWAKE!” The loud voice next to you gave you a start. As you looked over to Papyrus though, the tension left your shoulders. Right. That’s right. You knew where you were. You were in space.

“I am,” you told him unhelpfully. “Is… did I…?” You trailed off, looking up at him nervously. “Is it gone?”

“IF YOU ARE REFERRING TO THE LARGE BIT OF NOTHINGNESS THAT WAS EATING AT OUR WORLD, THEN YES.” He looked almost proud of you, “YES YOU DID IT.”

“though we’re still not entirely sure what ‘it’ is.” Sans peeked at you from behind his brother.

“NEVERTHELESS, IT WOULD SEEM THAT WE ARE IN YOUR DEBT! THE… THING DID QUITE A NUMBER ON YOU!” He proceeded to grab a wet towel from the nightstand, holding it out to you.

You took it in confusion, only to find that it was soaked with what you had assumed was water.

“IT WAS WARM WHEN I FIRST GOT IT FOR YOU! I AM… SORRY ABOUT THAT.” Papyrus rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly. 

Seemingly sensing your confusion, Sans took it from your hand, “do ya mind if i…?” He held it up to you in question. 

As soon as you shook your head, he brought it up to your face and gently patted the area under your nose. Your eyes widened in realization as soon as he had. You were still covered in blood, weren’t you? Your cheeks heated up in embarrassment as you reached up to take the cloth back from him.

“I can handle that.” You wiped across your upper lip furiously in an attempt to clean yourself up a bit. How had you forgotten about that?

You tensed up as you brought the cloth away from your face, your eyes quickly shooting down to the scarf that was still secured around your neck. You let out an audible sigh of relief when you saw that it was free of any blood. You would have felt terrible if you had ruined his scarf. 

You decided to give it back before anything could happen to it. As soon as your hands began to pull it off, though, you were stopped by another gloved pair resting themselves on them. 

You looked up at Papyrus, “I-“

“Keep It.” He. Gave your hands a gentle squeeze. “Consider It A Thank You Gift From Me.”

Your mouth opened and closed a few times in shock as you tried to form any real words, “I- I couldn’t. This is yours! And I know you probably really care about it, and I just-“

“IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME!” He announced, “WHICH IS WHY I AM VERY HAPPY TO LEAVE IT IN CAPABLE HANDS SUCH AS YOUR OWN.” He pulled his hands back with a soft smile. 

Your fingers curled around the soft fabric as you clutched it. He was alway so unbelievable kind hearted, no matter the universe you found yourself in. This particular Papyrus barely even  _ knew  _ you, and here he was, giving you one of his favorite possessions. Or, at least, you could assume it was one of his favorites. 

Either way, you weren’t sure how comfortable you were with keeping it. Or… maybe it wasn’t the scarf that you were worried about, but the amount of trust he seemed to put on you.

It was in that moment that you realized why that was. Of course he trusted you. You hadn’t given him a reason not to. His universe was safe. 

… His universe was safe. You did it. 

You all but launched yourself out of his bed at that thought, a giddy smile on your face. A small squeak escaped you as you pulled whoever you could get your hands on into a hug. In this case, that just so happened to be the pair of brothers at the bedside. 

You let out a laugh, “I did it! The boys are gonna-“ you gasped and pushed them away from you just as soon as you pulled them in. You needed to tell everyone back home that you were safe.

“How long have I been out for?”

Papyrus seemed to think for a second, but Sans managed to answer before he could, “s’ been about… nine hours? give or take.”

You nearly choked on a breath of air. Nine hours?! They were probably beyond worried! In fact, you wouldn’t be surprised if they were about ready to bust out of your universe in search of you. 

“Where’s my phone?” They both gave you an odd look. 

“DOWNSTAIRS. I DID NOT WANT IT TO WAKE YOU. YOU LOOKED LIKE YOU NEEDED THE REST.” While you knew he hadn’t meant any harm to come of it, you really wished he’d left it in there with you.

“the thing started going crazy about three or four hours ago.” Sans nodded along with his brother before giving you a sheepish look, “we didn’t check to see what that was about. didn’t want to invade your privacy or anything like that.”

You pushed past them to run downstairs. “Thank you guys! You didn’t have to do all of this for me! I really appreciate your kindness!” You called back to them over your shoulder as you ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time. 

“WAIT, MISS!” Papyrus called out to you just as you heard a familiar ringtone.

You didn’t bother to check the caller ID before answering, “I’m here.”

There was the sound of rustling before you heard a voice, “oh i, uh, wasn’t actually expecting you to-“ Sans cut his mumbled word off, “where are you? are you okay?”

“Slow down, Sans. I’m fine. I promise. I’m in a safe place.” You glanced back to see that the Sans and Papyrus from this universe had followed you downstairs.

“we’ve all been trying to get ahold of you for hours. what happened?” You didn’t miss the obvious worry in his voice.

“I did it. I stopped it.” You bit your lip, “But, well, I maybe sort of passed out right after?”

“you did what?!” 

You flinched, “Well, okay, not like that. I got to your house and took a nap that ended up being a lot longer than I expected.”

You heard a sigh on the other side of the line, “well, alright. i’m glad everyone is safe and all, but maybe it’s about time you came back home.”

“Oh.” You blinked at your phone a few times. “Yeah, I guess. I mean, I’m okay now. Nothing bad is going to happen to me here… well… accept maybe me floating away.”

“what?” 

“Never mind. I’ll… well I’ll have to show you when I get back.” You gave your full pockets a pat. You slumped over and looked back over your shoulder once more, “Give me a few minutes, and I’ll be there.”

“k.” And he hung up. Cool. Great. Good conversation. 

“WHO WAS IT?” Papyrus tilted his head at you. 

“It was Sans.” You pulled up the contacts on your phone, “Speaking of which, you guys need nicknames. If I called all of you Sans and Papyrus all of the time, it would be a headache and a half.”

“alright stardust. whatcha thinking?”

“Your name is Comic,” you reasoned, “which sounds a whole lot like cosmic, and that is aptly space themed.”

He chuckled, “cosmic, huh? i kinda like it.”

“OH! DO ME NEXT!” Papyrus grinned.

You thought for a second, “How about Nova?”

“NOVA!” He tried it out before giving you a nod. “I THINK THAT’LL DO QUITE NICELY!”

You grinned and nodded before handing him your phone. He quickly punched his number in and added his brother before handing it back to you. You glanced down to see that he input both of the new nicknames, even including little emojis after them. How cute.

“I… have to go back home.” You gave them a small smile. “But I’ll be back if I have anything to say on the matter!” 

“YOU MEAN THAT YOU HAVE TO GO BACK TO YOUR OWN UNIVERSE, RIGHT?” Nova tilted his head at you.

“Yeah, I do. I have people back home that are worried.” 

“by people, do you mean… us?” Cosmic rolled on his feet a bit, looking at you in curiosity. 

You nodded, “I do. There’s a couple of versions of you that live with me, actually.” When his eyes lit up, you continued, “You guys should stop by sometime. I’m sure you’d get along well with… most of them.”

He nodded, “you have no idea how many theories you’ve proven. i’ve been working on some of them for  _ years. _ ”

You smiled and winked, “Well, I may not know too much about your quantum physics junk, but I do know that you’re hella smart, and all of your theories are probably right.”

You watched in entertainment as his face lit up in a blush. You hadn’t said anything that wasn’t true. Pretty much every Sans you had run into was some kind of genius. 

You were scooped into a hug from the taller of the two, and promptly spun around. You let out a small laugh as you wrapped your arms around him in turn.

“MAKE SURE YOU COME BACK AND VISIT US SOME TIME!”

“Of course I will! I would never miss an opportunity to see you guys.” You gave him a pat on his back as he set you on your feet. 

“stay safe, okay stardust?” Cosmic asked as you pulled out the watch. You gave him a resolute nod. 

“I’ll do my best. Catch you guys later, yeah?”

Nova and Cosmic both gave you small waves as you activated the watch. They both grinned as you shifted back home in a familiar flash of white. You would miss that universe. Maybe you’d have to take a vacation there with everyone sometime. 

One thing you hadn’t been counting on when you got back was the fact that you weren’t in space, which meant that gravity was normal once more. You nearly stumbled with the weight of both yourself and the rocks you had stuffed in all of your pockets. It really didn’t help that you had found yourself right at the top of the stairs. It took you a second to regain your footing.

“AND WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!” Black’s voice caused you to jump. 

You spun around to face him and grinned. “Let’s go down to the living room and I’ll tell you guys all about it. I even brought back souvenirs!”

He gave you and odd look before shaking his head. You hadn’t been expecting him to shout loud enough for the whole house to hear, “SHE’S BACK!”

When you heard the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps, you braced for impact. In a blur of blue and confusion, you found yourself on the ground despite your best efforts. You could hear the heavy thud of rocks tumbling out of your pockets. 

“Well hello to you too, Blue.” You gave him a pat. 

“WE WERE SO WORRIED! ARE YOU OKAY?! WHAT HAPPENED?” You looked up. Wow. Papyrus was really tall from this angle. Then again, he was tall from  _ every _ angle. 

“what’s with all these rocks?” Sans kicked on in your direction.

You wrestled and arm from Blue’s hold and willed your fingers, “They’re from space!”

“SPACE?!” Blue sat up and looked down at you with stars in his eyes, “YOU WERE IN SPACE?!”

You nodded, “And I brought you guys back space rocks!”

“that’s not the same scarf ya left in,” Red leaned against a wall not far from you. He looked tired. Actually, they all looked tired. 

And now you felt bad. “I’ll tell you guys all about it after you get some sleep. I’m so sorry that I had you guys worried.”

“I WASN’T WORRIED!” Black crossed his arms and looked away from you pointedly. 

“WELL I WAS.” Edge peeked out from his room with a heavy frown. “YOU COULD HAVE BEEN DEAD FOR ALL WE KNEW!”

You let out a sigh, “Yeah, yeah I know. I’m so sorry.”

“she’s safe now, so it’s fine,” Sans chuckled, “i  _ do _ think she’s right. we all need to go to sleep.”

You stood up, “i promise I’ll tell you all about it in the morning.”

“what about you? you planning on sleeping?” Red asked you, pushing himself off of the wall as he did so.

“Red, I just slept for nine hours. So, I’m going to say probably not.”

He chuckled, “right. you’d better hold up your end of the deal. it sounds like ya got quite the tale to tell, doll.”


	57. A Nightmare on October the 13th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Halloween special (Part one) 
> 
> Aka this is set up, and the actual Halloween chapter won’t be until November. Oops, my bad.

You nodded down at the pile of space rocks that was now the table in your living room in a silent appreciation. You didn’t  _ need _ to set them up so the they looked all fancy, but you really didn’t have anything better to do. Suffice to say that you were bored out of your mind, and the boys had only gone to sleep about two hours ago. 

Sure, you could do something productive like make breakfast for them, but what would be the point of doing that now? It would just get cold and gross by the time they were all up. And it seemed that the cleaning was being taken care of by… someone, if the the fact that everything was strangely immaculate was anything to go by. You would need to thank them for that later.

You sighed and tapped on the arm of the sofa. You couldn’t just sit around all night. You needed to do something, even if it was just-

“Hello again, miss.” You jumped and flicked your attention over to the cushion next to you. Why in the world did everyone insist on randomly appearing all of the time? 

“Hey there, Frisk.” You relaxed back into your seat. “What brings you here tonight?”

They gave you a small smile, “I just wanted to check in.” After a second, they continued, “You seem to be getting the hang of all of this.”

“Well I don’t know that I’d say that, really. I still have no idea what I’m doing.” 

“Well for someone who has no idea what they’re doing, you are doing it very well.” They gave you a small nod.

You couldn’t help but chuckle, “Well, thanks, kid. I’m glad one of us thinks so.”

Their expression shifted to that of concern for a second before they shook it off. “Well, either way. I think you deserve another break. You’ve been working pretty hard lately at keeping the multiverse safe.”

You looked them over, “Well if I need some rest, then so do you. I don’t think I could even imagine what you’ve been doing this whole time.” You made a point to grab the remote for the TV and show it to them, “How about a movie?”

They gave you a sad smile, “I really wish that I could. Maybe next time, though?”

You frowned before smirking and ruffling their hair, “That’s what you told me the last time, you little punk.” They giggled and pushed your hand away. “But I get it. If you have to go do something super, uber, very important, then don’t let me stop you.” 

They gave you a nod, “I’m sorry. I really would love to stay.”

“Hey, it’s okay. No hard feelings.” You gave them a soft smile, “I’ll get you to stay one of these times.”

“I look forward to it.” There was a certain genuinity to their voice that made you look forward to it as well. You were sure you would get a chance to hang out with the little punk when things in the multiverse calmed down.

...If. If things in the multiverse calmed down. Did the poor kid even  _ know  _ what was going on? Of course they knew about the virus, but did they know why? Did they know how? How much were they really keeping from you?

You opened your mouth to ask them, only to find that they weren’t there anymore when you turned to face them. Well then. Never mind. You supposed you would have to save your questions for another time.

You clamped your mouth shut once more before turning to your TV with a bored expression. You may not have had anyone to watch it with, but you could still do some idle channel surfing. It wasn’t like you had anything better to do, anyways.

Huh. It seemed like someone left a game show channel on. You… weren’t really feeling wheel of fortune at two in the morning. You found yourself slumping against the armrest of your couch as you flipped through the channels.

… Why in the world were there so many horror movies on? It seemed like there was a different one on the screen at all times. You supposed that you weren’t really complaining, but it did seem odd. Your face scrunched up as you settled on a classic horror movie. You liked horror movies as much as the next person, but…

Wait. Had time really gotten away from you that much? It couldn’t possibly be October already, could it? You nearly launched yourself at your phone and clicked it on. 

It was the middle of October. All of the chaos had apparently stopped you from realizing that. A small grin took over your face as you watched the beginning of the movie. You knew  _ exactly  _ what you were going to be doing with your ‘time off’. You were not going to miss out on celebrating Halloween with a bunch of skeletons. Did they celebrate Halloween in the underground, or would this be the first time for them?

Either way, you were decidedly very excited. You even had the perfect costume idea in mind, and the house, well it was just big enough to be the perfect place to host a party. You would just need to make a few phone calls when it wasn’t super late… or… early, in your case. You got lost in your planning as the movie played in the background.

“hey.” 

You had to lean back awkwardly in order to see who was talking, “Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?”

Rus shrugged and found a spot on the couch next to you, thankfully sparing your neck from the uncomfortable angle. 

“i don’t do too much of that.” He sounded indifferent about the issue, turing to look at the TV without touching any more on the subject. “what are you watching?”

You frowned at him, but didn’t push the issue. “It’s a horror movie.” As if on cue, a scream sounded from the screen, tearing your attention back to it.

Rus stared blankly at the dramatic scene as it played out before looking back to you, “you humans really like this kinda stuff?”

“Not all of us. Some people really hate horror movies,” you explained, “especially the gorey ones. I… don’t really care. It’s all fake stuff anyways.”

He hummed, “it’s just weird that you humans would actively make somethin’ like this. it’s very… violent.”

“Yeah, I’d say ‘violent’ is a good way to sum up humans as a whole. But these are just movies. They’re just made for entertainment, so that people can get scared without actually being in dangerous situations.”

“that’s really strange.”

You chuckled, “Yeah, I guess it is.” After watching for a few more seconds you glanced over at him. “Hey, actually. I have a question for you.”

“shoot,” he looked over at you.

“Do you guys celebrate Halloween? Like, was it a big thing in the underground? Or.. do you even know what it is?”

He chuckled at your barrage of questions, “nah, we didn’t have Halloween.”

Your eyes it up. It was decided, then. You would make this the funnest Halloween possible if it was their first. 

“Awesome. We’re going costume shopping tomorrow, then!” You were already making excited plans in your head. For decorations, you could-

“woah there, darlin. slow down. you’ve still gotta talk to everyone else about this. and you haven’t told any of us what happened,” he gestured to the pile of rocks, “or what’s up with those.”

“That’s fine! We can go  _ after  _ I tell you guys all about it!” You grinned, It shouldn’t take too long to tell you guys about what happened.”

His gaze shifted between you and the pile of rocks, “sounds like you had a better time in that universe than mine.”

You deflated at his words and bit at your lip, “I… yeah. Sorry.” saying that you felt bad about everything that happened to him was an understatement. 

“why the hell are you apologizing? you didn’t do anything.”

“Sorry, it’s just a bad habit.” When he raised a brow at you, you realized you had done it again. You opened your mouth to reply, but quickly closed it before another apology could escape.

Instead, you turned your attention back to the movie. You could feel that Rus was still watching you. It felt as if he were trying to figure something out. You weren’t sure if he had or not when he pulled his gaze away from you. There was a length of silence as you watched the last five minutes of the movie. 

You may have already seen the movie, but you watched with rapt attention as the main villain disappeared in what was very obviously the set up for a sequel. You continued to watch even as the credits began rolling on the screen. It was silent except for the quiet music that accompanied the scrolling list of names. 

The screen briefly went to black before the into to the next movie began. Huh. Apparently, it was a marathon. You supposed you weren’t complaining.  It, just because you weren’t didn’t mean that your company was okay with another slasher film.

You looked over at him to ask, only to stop before you could speak. Rus was slumped over onto the opposite arm rest, his head resting in his hand. He fell asleep. You couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle. He may not have gotten much sleep, but he most certainly needed it.

You slowly stood up and wandered over to the nearest linen closet to grab a blanket for him. You quickly came back and tossed it over him, nodding at your handiwork before picking up the remote and turning the TV down more than it already had been.You didn’t want to chance the loud noises of a horror movie waking him up.

After making sure he didn’t stir any, you made your way into the kitchen. It wouldn’t be too long before the early risers got up. The ones that slept in would just have to suffer through the cold breakfast. 

You pulled open the fridge and grabbed as many eggs as you could carry. You  _ did _ need to feed nine people, after all. With that thought, you grabbed a few more eggs, just in case. You turned around and jumped, nearly tossing the eggs in the air. 

“Blue, why?!” You did your best to whisper-yell at him. Apparently he could be much quieter than you thought.

“Sorry! I Thought You Looked Like You Needed Help!” In what way was standing directly behind you wordlessly considered helping?

“It’s no big deal. All of my eggs are still in one piece, so I think we’re good to go.” You wandered over to the counter and gingerly set them down. Now, if only you had a pan big enough to cook them in all at once.

… wait. Maybe you did.

“Blue, do you think you could grab a few things out of there for me? You gestured to the fridge. When he made his way over, you began listing everything you would need. Once everything was out on the table, you nodded.

“What Are You Making?” He looked over everything curiously.

“A quiche. I needed to make something that would feed all of you.” You began to crack the eggs into a dish as you spoke. “It seemed like it was the best plan.”

He nodded slowly as he watched you. Before he could ask you anything else, you shook your head and smiled at him.

“What are you doing up, anyways?”

You watched in curiosity as he opened and closed his mouth a few times as if he kept changing his answer. After a few seconds, he seemed to settle on one. “I Was Just Woken Up By A Loud Noise, And I Couldn’t Get Back To Sleep. I Knew You Were Awake, So I Thought I’d Join You Down Here.”

That would have been a very good lie if you didn’t know any better. But, you did, and you noticed the hesitation before he spoke. Apparently along with being family silent when he wanted to be, you were quickly finding that Blue was a deceptively good liar.

You narrowed your eyes at him, “I don’t believe that, but if you don’t really want to tell me why, I won’t force you.” 

He stared at you for a second before his smile faltered. “I’M NOT-“ he sighed, “I had a nightmare. I think… I think that a lot of us get them, though, so it isn’t a big deal.”

“Blue,” you set down your wink and pulled him into a hug, “if it bothers you, of course it’s a big deal.” His arms rested at his side, much to your concern. “Do… you want to talk about it?”

Those words seemed to strike something with him if the fact that his arms snapped around you were any indication. The hug he was giving you wasn’t really like the others he had given you, though. He was holding you as if he were afraid you were going to break as you felt a sob shake him. 

“Hey, hey,” you gently shushed him as you rubbed his back. “It’s alright. You’re okay.” 

He shook his head into your shoulder as he gripped onto your shirt, “NO! YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND, I-“ he sobbed once more, his voice muffled. “YOU- You…” he trailed off with a sniffle. 

“Hey, Sans?” His grip around you tightened. “Why don’t we go back upstairs? I’ll sit with you until you go back to sleep, okay?”

He pulled back so that he could look at you with eye sockets that were glistening with tears. He searched your gaze for something before nodding at you. You pulled away from him just enough that you could walk up to his room. 

Once you got there, you pulled him down onto his bed and watched as he situated himself back under the covers. You took a seat next to him and gave him a small smile.

He looked up at you and gave you a soft smile, his cheeks gaining a blue tint to them, “Um… Do You… Think You Could Sing A Song?”

You blinked at him in surprise. He wanted you to sing? You… guessed that wasn’t too odd of a request, so you gave him a nod. You knew just the one. 

“ _ Close your eyes lay your head down, now it’s time to sleep.”  _

You fixed the blanket and made yourself comfortable before singing the next line.

“ _ May you find great adventure as you lie and dream. _

_ If you’re scared of the darkness, I will calm your fears. _

_ There’s a light in the hallway so you know I’m here.” _

The lights in his eyes seemed to twinkle as he looked up at you. You smiled sheepishly and looked pointedly at the bedspread before continuing. 

“ _ So count your blessings every day.  _

_ It makes the darkness go away. _

_ And everything will be okay. _

_ You are not alone, you are right at home.” _

For some reason, you felt like Blue’s weren’t the only eyes on you. You didn’t bother to stop staring at the blanket.

“ _ Goodnight, goodnight.” _

You took a breath as you slowly relaxed enough to let your eyes flutter closed. 

“ _ You won’t need me forever, but I’ll still be here. _

_ For we all have our nightmares, even me, my dear. _

_ From now on if you need me, you can sing this song. _

_ There’s a light in the hallway burning all night long.” _

_ “So count your blessings every day.  _

_ It makes the darkness go away. _

_ And everything will be okay. _

_ You are not alone. You are right at home.” _

You could have sworn you heard the sound of shuffling behind you. You blinked open your eyes and glanced down at Blue. 

You weren’t aware that the lights in his eyes could make that shape. As quickly as you had seen the tiny hearts, they were blinked away by a very awake looking Blue.

“I thought you were supposed to be going back to sleep.” You tried very hard not to let your amusement show. 

“who can sleep when there’s a siren on the loose?” You quickly spun around at the voice. Red gave you a wink as soon as your eyes met. “we gotta be on high alert.”

Oh. It seemed like the whole peanut gallery was stuffed into Blue’s room. You felt your cheeks heat up and let out a small sigh as you stood up. 

“Great. Cool. Well, I’m glad you guys enjoyed the show.” You shook your head before making your way through them. “We may as well go downstairs and talk if you guys are all up.”

A hand caught your wrist as you made your way out. You turned and looked up at Papyrus, “YOU HAVE A VERY LOVELY SINGING VOICE.” He grinned at you softly, “I WISH WE COULD HEAR IT MORE!”

The temperature in your cheeks only got warmer at the complement. You didn’t get a chance to reply before Sans did, “you sound happier when you sing.” 

There was a general murmur of agreement among the skeletons that had gathered themselves for an impromptu concert. Okay, you’d just skip the living room and get straight to the subject change, then.

“Right, thanks. Time for me to change the subject before I combust.” You took a breath and shook off your flustered mood before grinning at them, “So I was in space.”

“so we heard.” Stretch leaned on the doorway, “you might want to clarify.”

You took a breath, “Okay, so, the underground? It wasn’t underground. It was literally floating in space. It was crazy! I’ve never seen so many stars in one place! It was like- it was like-“ You struggled to find words to describe it, so you decided not to. “Well, I’ll have to take you guys there now that it’s safe!”

“you’re offering to take us  _ all  _ to space?” Rus gave you an odd look.

“Well, yeah! You guys should see it! It’s amazing!” You took in a sharp breath, “I actually brought some really pretty rocks back! They’re for you guys, but they’re down in the living room.” You chuckled, “It turns out that they’re a lot heavier when there’s atmosphere.”

“WHAT ABOUT YOUR SCARF?” Edge asked you, gesturing to the one that you had gotten from Nova. 

“Well, I may have kinda lost my old one in the vacuum of space. Whoops.”

“WHAT YOU MEAN THAT YOU COULD JUST… FLOAT OFF OF THE SIDE AT ANY POINT?” Black crossed his arms as he looked you over skeptically. 

“Well, no, but I guess you could fall off the edge. I don’t know. I don’t really know any of the science to any of it. The Sans of that universe probably would, though.”

Red snorted, “i can only imagine what ‘nicknames’ you gave to those poor saps.”

“Okay, ouch.” You stuck your tongue out at him playfully, “I’ll have you know that I am perfectly aware that my naming skills are garbage, so there’s no need to rub it in.”

“and what about the fact that you knocked out for nine hours?” Sans frowned at you as he stared at your chest.

“Right, that.” You deflated slightly. You thought he would be more preoccupied with space to remember that you had said that. “I’m… not entirely sure. I think that whatever it is that I’m doing just takes a lot of energy from me.” 

“WE’LL JUST HAVE TO TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT WHEN WE GET BACK TO HER SOUL… STUFF.” Blue nodded to himself. 

Papyrus nodded in agreement, “RIGHT! WE NEED TO CONTINUE THAT! IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW ALL YOU CAN ABOUT BOTH YOUR SOUL, AS WELL AS MAGIC IF WE’RE GOING TO LEARN ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON WITH IT!”

“Okay, but can we maybe hold that off for a few days?” You fiddled with your fingers slightly.

“why? you got a hot date or something?” Stretch questioned you.

You quickly shook your head, “No. I was actually thinking about throwing a Halloween party here? But you guys live here too, so of course I want you guys to be okay with it, and well, a part of it.”

Blue and Papyrus both began excitedly trying to talk over each other. You chuckled at their enthusiasm before continuing, “So I was thinking that we could go and get costume and decorations today. Maybe we could invite everyone else?”

There was a loud murmur among all of them. If the seemingly positive reaction was anything to go by, it seemed like you’d be good to go.

Fantastic. You had big plans for this party. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo! I got this out on the right day (for me, at least) I wasn't sure I was going to make it, but I did! I hope you guys like this chapter!
> 
> The song in this chapter is ‘Light in the Hallway’ by Pentatonix. It is very pretty!
> 
> (Also, just in case any of you were wondering, it was most certainly the original Halloween that was being watched. (Double also: if you haven’t seen the newest Halloween, and you enjoy horror/slasher movies, I would highly recommend it. It’s proably one of the best horror sequels that I’ve seen.))


	58. Spooky Scary Skeletons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Halloween chapter?? In November?? It’s more likely than you may think.

“SO YOU’RE SAYING THAT KIDS JUST… WANDER UP TO DOORS AND ASK FOR CANDY? AND PEOPLE GIVE IT TO THEM?!” Black shook his head for what seemed like the umpteenth time that night. 

“Yeah, that’s how it works.” You were working on hanging some spooky looking lanterns in your living room for the party tonight as he pestered you.

“AND HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT THE CANDY ISN’T POISONED? DRUGGED? LACED WITH BLADES?!?”

You stopped what you were doing to give him a deadpan look, “Dude. They’re giving candy to  _ kids _ . No one’s trying to kill kids on Halloween, and they are most certainly not going to put perfectly good drugs in candy that they’re going to hand out for free.”

“I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THE POINT.”

You sighed, “Don’t you have a costume to get ready? The party starts in an hour or so,” you gave him a reminder before turning back to your decorations.

“DON’T  _ YOU _ ?” He bit back.

“Well, yeah, but I have to finish this first.” You stepped back from the lantern you had hung and gave it a nod of approval before moving on to the next bit of decorations. “You guys have been dragging me every which way for the last few hours, which is fine and all, but I have to finish this before the party starts.”

“FINE. I’LL LEAVE YOU ON YOUR OWN, THEN.” Black spun towards the doorway dramatically, grumbling to himself as he went. 

“Thank you!” You called after him, “I can’t wait to see your costume! We can argue about the logistics of dumb human holidays later, alright?”

When the lot of you had gone out to actually shop for the costumes, you had decided to keep what you were wearing secret, and your housemates had followed suit. Admittedly, you were more than a little curious as to what the boys had decided on. You  _ had  _ wandered the mall for at least an hour while they all made a decision, after all. 

After a few more minutes, you decided that you were satisfied with your appropriately spooky decorations (there had been quite the debate about skeleton themed decorations at the store, but once you had vetoed that idea when you realized that plastering naked skeletons around your house might be kind of weird for them). 

You sighed before heading upstairs. You needed to start on your costume or else it wasn’t going to be finished by the time everyone got there. The costume itself wasn’t very complicated, but the makeup would take some time. 

It had almost been an obvious costume choice for you. That was, of course, after you had an ample amount of free time the night after you had gotten back. You… hadn’t done much sleeping. To say that it the thought of being in  _ actual space  _ had hit you like a ton of bricks would be the understatement of the century. Space. You had been in goddamned space. You… still didn’t think that your brain was processing that right. Or, maybe the fact that you could go between literal universes was beginning to jade your wonder more than you would like. 

You shook your thoughts away. One problem at a time, you could worry about that later. For now, you had a costume to put on, and you had about an hour to do it before others began to show up. So, you got to work putting together your costume and the makeup that went with it.

It didn’t seem like it was very long before a knock sounded at the front door. The fact that you could hear it all the way up in the attic could only mean that it was most certainly Undyne at the door. 

You heard the sound of Papyrus answering the door. Good. You had one or two more finishing touches. It seemed like you were going to need to go faster if the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs was anything to go by. 

There was a quieter knock on her door before a voice came through, “You have to knock louder!” That claim was followed by another knock, this time harder, but still nothing compared to Undyne’s. 

You pulled open the door and smiled down at the three kids, “Aren’t you supposed to say ‘trick or treat’?”

You took a second to look over their costumes. It seemed they had gone with a Wizard of Oz theme, much to your delight. Frisk, who was very obviously the youngest of the three of them, was grinning up at you with small tufts of straw poking out in their hair. They had red painted cheeks and cute little overalls. Chara, on the other hand, was dressed in their best rendition of the tin-man. It was surprisingly well-made,though you had a sneaking suspicion that they had help on it. Fell, who was the oldest out of the three, was wearing a lion costume wit a small medal pinned to the chest.

“D’aww!” You couldn’t help but coo at them, “You guys look fantastic!”

Fell grinned at you, “No, you do!” They waggled their brows, “You trying to impress someone, or what?”

You felt yourself blush at the implication, “What? No, I just thought it would be fitting, y’know?”

You looked down at the dark purple dress. The slits on either side revealed your legs, which had a few small chains and the like wrapped around them. The bodice of the dress was slightly more low cut that you were used to wearing,and the sided of it were patterned to have decorative ribs that lined up with your own. What jewelry you were wearing was very skeletal themed. Your hair was thrown up messily with a small skull pin holding it in place that you may or may not have stolen from Edge’s room. You were fairly certain that it was actually supposed to be a belt buckle, but it worked. You had paired the look with some dramatic makeup, and bam! Necromancer. 

“Have you seen anyone else’s costume yet?!” Chara happily bounced up to you and took your hand. Frisk mirrored their actions and the pair of them began to tug you downwards. 

“Uh, no, actually, I haven’t.” You smiled at them as you let yourself be pulled.

“well i think we found some pretty  _ hot  _ costumes.” You stopped at the sound of Sans’s voice and turned to face him. You snorted. Of course he was wearing a hotdog costume. You weren’t even surprised. 

He seemed to take a second to take in your appearance before a light blue dusted his cheeks, “you look nice.”

You heard the sound of a slap behind you, only to look over and see that Frisk had done a dramatic face palm. They quickly signed something to Sans. Said monster got even more embarrassed at whatever was said. 

“sorry, kid. i guess i just couldn’t mustard up the courage.” He shrugged sheepishly. You raised a brow at him, but didn’t get the chance to question him before you were tugged away once more. 

“Thank you Sans,” you called over your shoulder, “We’ll have to ketchup later!” You chuckled at your own joke as your little party made your way down to the ground floor.

“We brought her out!” Chara called into the house. You were unceremoniously shoved into the gathering of people.

“FINALLY! WHAT IN THE WORLD TOOK YOU SO-“ Edge cut himself off when he saw you. 

“Lookin’ sharp, Edge,” you grinned at him as you took in his black pinstripe suit. A matching fedora adorned his head. The mobster look fit him well.

His brother, on the other hand, was dressed exactly the same as he always was with the exception of the shirt that read ‘costume’ in what looked suspiciously like the comic sans font. You couldn’t say that you were surprised. 

“you’re lookin’ pretty good yourself, honey.” You glanced over at Stretch, who also seemed to have a very minimum effort costume. He had thrown a yellow and black striped tutu over his usual clothes and paired it with a headband that had little antennas on it.

Red smirked, “i would make a comment about how you can’t actually raise the dead, but i’m pretty sure you’re raisin’ somethin’.” He winked.

“RED!” Papyrus was the first to shout at him, “DON’T BE GROSS!” He then looked over to you with a grin. He was dressed as a knight, appropriately enough. 

You snickered before picking up the dramatics, “Thank you, kind sir! You are my hero!”

“DID SOMEONE SAY HERO?!” Blue called from the top of the steps before leaping down them. You chuckled and gave a nod of appreciation at his strangely nondescript superhero costume. 

“I did, actually!” You chuckled, “but I believe our crisis was averted, despite Red’s best efforts.”

“we could double our efforts, if ya want.” Rus’s voice came from right next to you. With a small shake of your head, you found yourself playfully shoving him away. 

“Down, boy.” Your eyes flicked up to the dog ears he was wearing for just a second before you laughed and took a step away from him. “You’re barking up the wrong tree.”

“nah, i think i found the tree that i’ve been lookin’ for.” His gold tooth glinted as he smirked down at you. “though i’d say yer more of a bush.”

You crossed your arms and let out an indignant this huff, “Nu-uh! You’re just too tall!”

“THAT IS ABSOLUTELY ENOUGH OF THE SHRUBBERY TALK!” Black grabbed his brother’s hood and yanked him away from you. He was dressed as a cage fighter, which was another oddly fitting choice. 

There was a boisterous cackle from the fish monster in the kitchen doorway, “Hey nerd!” That was funny, considering the fact that she was most certainly dressed as an anime character. “Long time, no see!” She made a beeline for you and gave you a pat on the back. You had to catch yourself so that you didn’t faceplant. 

Alphys followed behind her girlfriend. Her gaze quickly shifted between you and the skeletons, a certain sparkle in her eye as she did so. When her gaze finally settled on you, she gave a small wave. 

You returned it happily, “Hey guys! It’s nice to see you again!”

“You too,” Alphys fiddled nervously with the edge of the frilly skirt she was wearing. “Um, Tori er- Toriel is in the kitchen, and everyone else went to the living room.”

You had invited everyone, including the monsters you had pulled out from the other universes. There was a steady flow of conversation from the living room, and the smell of something sweet and cinnamon like wafting from the kitchen. It was undoubtedly the cinnamon butterscotch pie that Toriel had made. Your mouth watered at the mere thought of it. 

Your name was called out by Blue as he replaced Chara at your side and took your hand, “COME ON! YOU SET UP ALL OF THE SPEAKERS IN THE LIVING ROOM FOR A REASON, RIGHT?!” He grinned at you.

You supposed that the pie could wait. You gave him a nod before making your way into the living room. What was a Halloween party without aptly themed Halloween music, after all? 

You made a beeline for the system and hit a few buttons. Music flared up from the speakers, though it wasn’t so loud that everyone would have to shout over each other. You grinned at the into of the song and spun back around to face Blue, and by extension, the rest of the room. 

“Y’know, there’s a dance that goes to this song.” You grinned and held your hand out in a silent offer. The three kids quickly flocked over to your side. 

“Oh!” Fell grinned, “I know the dance!” 

Chara nodded, “Who  _ doesn’t _ know the dance to Thriller?” The looked up at you, “Can you do it with us?”

You chuckled, “Well, of course I can!” Your gaze flicked back up to the rest of the room, “But first, I think we have a few other people to teach. You guys wanna help me out?” You hadn’t even finished the question before they were nodding and rushing off to find the nearest unsuspecting victim. 

“CAN YOU TEACH ME THE DANCE?” Blue asked with a small tilt of his head. 

You grabbed his hand, “Of course I can,” a wink was sent in his direction before you pulled him off towards a cleared out area.

The rest of the night went in a very similar manner, even after everyone who wanted to learn the dance had. The kids had insisted on the Time Warp next, and you had happily agreed. Eventually though, it was the kid’s bedtime, and you were not about to argue with  _ any  _ version of Toriel. Though they may have been the first to go home, eventually everyone else took their leave as well. 

That just left you and the skeleton crew. The lot of you had found yourself sitting around in the living room, pie in hand. You had just finished yours off, and you smirked as you slid your plate off to the side. 

“Hey, do you guys wanna see the rest of my costume?” You had spent a whole lot of time on the little details, even though they couldn’t really be seen unless…

“THERE’S MORE?!” Papyrus seemed very excited at the thought. 

“Of course there is,” You stood up and began making your way over to the light switch.

“where you hidin’ the rest of it?” Red looked you over with a small brow wiggle. He shrunk back a bit when more than one skeleton leveled him a glare. 

You just rolled your eyes before reaching for the switch. You winked mysteriously at them before flicking it off. A wave of silence overtook the room as you showed of the most painstaking part of the costume.

There was a soft glow that emanated from the skeletal system that you had lovingly painted onto yourself in a paint that you had picked up from Alphys. It was nearly impossible to see when light was shining on it, but when it was dark? It lit up like a Christmas tree. 

“So, what do you guys think?” You grinned as you presented it to them. 

There was a moment of silence before, “you painted all a that?” The glow illuminated just enough in front of you that you could see Rus make his way over to you. He leaned in and prodded at one of your cheeks, “you ain’t so bad of an artist there, darlin’.” He smirked and leaned in more, “looks like you got all kinds of secret talents. any others you wanna share?”

He was all but tackled out of the way by Blue and Papyrus as they, too, began poking at the paint. 

“WOW! THAT LOOKS SO COOL!” Papyrus gushed, “YOU ARE TRULY A COSTUME MASTER!”

You snickered as you were spun around, “Thanks guys! Yours all turned out amazing, too!” You grinned, “except maybe Red’s. His sucked.”

“wha- hey! i put hella thought into this costume!” 

“NO YOU DIDN’T.” Edge frowned at his brother. 

“damn. thrown under the bus.” Red grinned despite his words.

“HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO GET ALL OF THE BONES TO LOOK LIKE THAT?” Black looked you over.

“Well It wasn’t too hard.” You smirked, “I stare at you guys all day, after all. And for a lot of it, I just followed my own bone structure.”

“that’s really cool,” Stretch was poking at you now, too. Cool. Neat. That was exactly what you had envisioned. You flailed your hands around a bit awkwardly as if you were swatting bugs away, which wasn’t too far from the truth. 

“Alright, alright! I’m glad you guys appreciate my costume,” you moved away from them, “Now how about we watch a movie and call it a night?”

“BUT YOU WORKED SO HARD ON OUR COSTUME!” Papyrus tilted his head at you, “ARE YOU SURE YOU JUST WANT TO STAY IN AND WATCH A MOVIE?”

You looked between all of the skeletons in the room, a gentle smile settling on your face. No, no you didn’t. This was where you wanted to be. 

“I am absolutely certain.”

You were more than glad to hang out with all of the skeletons, even if that just meant watching a movie before you inevitably fell asleep in a pile of bones. In fact, that seemed like the ideal end to the night to you. 

So that was  _ exactly  _ what you did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not gonna lie, I’m not very fond of this chapter. 
> 
> ...oh well. I have a more... plot heavy one for you guys next time. ;)


	59. Interactions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You spend a little bit of time with some of your dudes.

A small draft from the open window sent shivers up your spine. You quickly closed the window before wrapping your arms around yourself in a half hearted attempt to stay warm. It was very obvious what this situation needed: Blankets. And luckily for you, there was still a mountain of them in the living room.

Without any more hesitation, you trotted into the living room and proceeded to make yourself as comfy as possible before turning on the TV. It was a lazy kind of morning, after all.

...Something was missing. You shifted, trying to make yourself more comfortable, but you couldn’t quite figure out what was missing. Maybe you needed more pillows?

“taco ‘bout a blanket burrito.” Sans winked down at you, “lookin’ comfy, sweetheart.”

In that moment, you realized _exactly_ what you were missing.

“I am. And in exchange for some cuddles, you too could be extra comfy,” you grinned at him. “Free shipping for a limited time.”

His face grew blue as he looked at you in confusion, “what? are you trying to informercial me into cuddling with you?”

Your only answer was wiggling your arms out of the blankets and making grabby hands at him. He seemed to consider it for a second before giving you a sheepish grin and wandering up to you.

“you’re no billy mays, but turns out you’re pretty persuasive.” He chuckled. Once he was in grabbing distance, you yanked him onto the couch. He let out a small grunt as you flipped the two of you around until you were comfortable.

You stopped once you were satisfied with the tangle of blankets. You were more than content to use the skeleton’s rib cage as a surprisingly soft pillow. You had never been more glad that Sans insisted on wearing his jacket.

“uh-“ Sans nervously looked down at you. When you gave him a soft smile, he slowly let himself get comfortable, even going so far as too drape his arms lazily around your middle as his attention turned to the TV.

You followed his example until your thoughts began wandering away from the screen and to Sans himself. You looked up at him curiously.

“Hey, Sans?”

He hummed and looked down at you, only for a blue to dust his cheek bones once more as he met your gaze. You hadn’t realized how close you were until you realized that you could feel a strange crackling warmth radiate from the magic that had gathered along his cheekbones. Huh. That was interesting.

“What are you doing up this early, anyways?” You finally asked softly.

The lights in his eyes shifted away from you for a second before they came back, though they seemed sharper than they had before. “nightmare.”

You blinked up at him in surprise before your own expression softened. The poor guy really didn’t get enough sleep, did he? “Do you wanna talk about it?”

“no,” he responded almost immediately before tensing up, “i mean, not right now. another time, alright?” He looked at you nervously, as if he were waiting for you to kick him off the couch for refusing.

“Contrary to popular belief,” you began with a small smile, “you guys really don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”

He was quiet as his eyes flickered over your face. You couldn’t help but grin when he relaxed again, “i want to tell you. just not right now.”

“Take your time, then.” You turned your attention back to the TV and spaced out while some show about secret agents played in the background.

As it turned out, Sans was unsurprisingly very cuddly. Your comfort increased significantly when you added a Sans to the mix. You were sure the sentiment was the same for him if how quickly he had fallen asleep was anything to go by.

You smiled down at him softly before a bit of movement caught your eye. Trying your best not to wake him, you shifted until you could peek over the arm of the couch. Stretch stared back at you with an odd look on his face. You grinned at him, but he looked away and ducked back out of the living room. That was… odd. It looked like something was bothering him.

You bit at your lip in contemplation and looked back at Sans. Judging by the way he was sleeping, you were willing to bet that you could get away without waking him up. Probably. You carefully began untangling yourself from the blankets and rolled off of the couch, and by extension, Sans. He shifted a bit, but grumbled and made himself comfortable once more before he went still. Perfect.

You padded back through the living room in the direction Stretch had gone. Now, where-

“AH! YOU. HUMAN!” Black’s voice pulled you away from your search. He was glaring at you from the kitchen. “MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL AND COME HELP US.”

“BLACK!” Papyrus scolded from inside, “THAT’S NO WAY TO TALK TO OUR LOVELY HOST!”

With a glance between Black and the staircase, you let out a small sigh. You backtracked and made your way into the kitchen with a snicker. “What can I do for you two?”

“WELL,” Papyrus began sheepishly, “WE MAY HAVE BEEN TRYING TO COOK BREAKFAST. AND WE DID! BUT, WELL…”

You quickly glanced around the kitchen. Yikes. What a mess. “Ah. I see,” you raised a brow, “You want me to help you clean up?”

“WE ARE MORE THAN CAPABLE OF DOING IT,” Papyrus grinned at you before Black scoffed and shook his head.

“SUCH BORING THINGS ARE BELOW ME! BESIDES, CLEANING IS WHAT THE HOSTESS IS SUPPOSED TO DO.” He crossed his arms and turned his non-existent nose up at you.

“Boring?” You smiled, “Obviously you’ve been doing it wrong, then.”

Both of them watched you curiously as you wandered up to the speakers you kept in the kitchen and made quick work of hooking them up to your phone. “You’ve just got to get a bit creative with it!”

The song began with a small strum that instantly led into drums and guitars. You grinned and spun around, giving a wink to the monsters in the room. As the beginning instrumental kept going, you grabbed a broom and twirled it dramatically.

 _“I hold on so nervously_   
_To me and my drink_   
_I wish it was cooling me_   
_But so far has not been good_   
_It's been shitty_   
And I feel awkward as I should ”   


You happily sang along as you tossed Papyrus a wet rag to wipe down the counters. He caught it with a grin, and his eyes practically lit up as he watched you. Black gave you an unimpressed look as you began dancing around the kitchen, broom in hand.

“ _This club has got to be_   
_The most pretentious thing_   
_Since I thought you and me_   
_Well, I am imagining_   
_A dark lit place_   
_Or your place or my place”_   


You twirled around Black playfully, being careful not to whack him with your pseudo dance partner as you dragged it along the ground.

“REALLY? WHAT IN THE WORLD DO YOU THINK YOU WILL ACCOMPLISH WITH THIS?” Black crossed his arms.

“ _Well, I'm not paralyzed_   
_But, I seem to be struck by you_   
_I wanna make you move_   
_Because you're standing still_   
_If your body matches_   
_What your eyes can do_   
_You'll probably move right through_ _  
_ Me on my way to you!”

You punctuated the last line with a playful point in in Black’s direction. He rolled his eyes, but you didn’t miss the hint of a smile that he was fighting. You held your hand out in a silent invitation. When he didn’t take it, you shrugged and continued sweeping and swaying around.

 _“I hold out for one more drink_   
_Before I think_   
_I'm looking too desperately_   
_But so far has not been fun_   
_I should just stay home_   
_If one thing really means one_   
_This club will hopefully_   
_Be closed in three weeks_   
_That would be cool with me_   
_Well, I'm still imagining_   
_A dark lit place_   
Or your place or my place ”   


The grin on your face only grew as Papyrus decided to join you in swinging around the kitchen. You giggled happily when he took one of your hands and brought you into a twirl. When you twirled away once more, you stopped yourself just next to Black, striking a dramatic pose. The broom ended up in a small dip in front of Black as you eyed him with a smirk.

“Come on, Black,” You managed to get out during a bit of instrumental, “I never took you as the kind to back down from a challenge.”

Black narrowed his eyes before grinning, THAT IS A VERY UNDERHANDED TACTIC. I CAN RESPECT THAT.” He grabbed your free hand and tugged you towards him. You chuckled when he spun you around.  

“ _Well, I'm not paralyzed_ _  
__But, I seem to be struck by you_ _  
__I wanna make you move_ _  
__Because you're standing still_ _  
__If your body matches_ _  
__What your eyes can do_ _  
__You'll probably move right through_ __  
Me on my way to you!”  


You grinned as the three of you danced carelessly around the kitchen. Well, you supposed you had accomplished your mission here. With a playful wink, you tossed the broom over to Black and sauntered out of the kitchen. You had a skeleton to find, after all.

You stomped up the stairs, nodding to yourself when the song changed back in the kitchen. The sound faded as you made your way through the halls towards what you knew to be Stretch’s room. On the way there, you took note of the fact that all of the doors but one were closed.

There was an… odd smell coming from the open door. That seemed like something you should probably check on. You stopped once more, glancing between Stretch’s door and the open one. With a small groan to yourself you headed towards the open door. At this rate, you were never going to get to Stretch’s room.

You peeked your head in the doorway. Rus was seated on the floor with an absolute mess of paint around him. Your eyes moved up just slightly to see the wall he seemed to be working on.

“Oh, wow.” You couldn’t help but mumble out at the sight at the meticulously painted galaxy that now adorned the wall.

He turned to look over his shoulder before looking back, “hey there, darlin. nice a ya to stop by.”

“Rus, that is absolutely amazing,” you stepped into the room to give the painting a closer look. “How long have you been working on this?”

“two days? i dunno. it’s almost done, though.” He gestured down to the part of the wall he had been working on, where there seemed to be an absence of stars. “just gotta finish this bit.”

You gaped at him. This was one of the most detailed paintings you had seen, and he had done it in two days?! And he even seemed so nonchalant about it, like it was no big deal.

“you should probably close your mouth, darlin’. there are a lot of weirdos around here.”

You quickly did so. “I’m sorry, it’s just… this is amazing! You’re very talented.”

“why are ya sorry? and it’s nothin too impressive.” He continued his work while he talked to you.

“Nothing impressive? Dude, this is amazing! I’m in awe of your amazing skills.” You grinned and bent down to watch him, “You’ll have to teach me some time, yeah?”

“i’m not a very good teacher, but for you, darlin’?” He winked, “i’ll give it a go.”

You grinned at him, “Cool! It’s a date, then!”

He froze and glanced over at you. After staring quietly for a second, he nodded and turned back to what he was doing.

“if ya wanted to date me so badly, you coulda just asked.”

“Wh-“ You snickered and shook your head, “Rus!” You stood up once more and began to leave the room. You peeked back at him over your shoulder, “You _wish_ you could handle me!”

You could hear him chuckle as you wandered away, finally getting to Stretch’s door. You gave it a gentle knock. For a long while, there was no movement on the other side. Maybe he wasn’t there. But, if he wasn’t in his room, where-

The door swung open. Stretch looked down at you, one hand stuffed in the pocket of his hoodie. He blinked a few times before nodding.

“sup?”

“No, sup with you, bone boy?” You gave him a soft smile, “Don’t think I didn’t see you in the living room.”

“i guess nothing escapes you, huh?” He leaned on his doorway. The way he said that was… odd.

“I guess not.” You tilted your head, “Is there something bothering you?”

“no.” There most certainly was.

You frowned at him. “Stretch, if something’s bothering you, tell me so that I can fix it.”

He frowned and stared at you for a second, “nothing’s wrong.” When you gave him a look, he continued, “just drop it, okay? i’m fine.”

Your face scrunched up, “You… alright. If that’s what you want.” You frowned and crossed your arms. “But, I just don’t want to to be upset if you don’t have to be, y’know?”

He deflated a bit and shook his head at you, “you’re too sweet for your own good.”

You smiled at him and offered a small shrug, “Maybe. I just think You guys deserve to be happy.”

“sure.” He shook his head, “if that’s what you think.”

“What’s that supposed to-“ He shut the door. “Wait! Hey! Stretch!”

But nobody came.

You grumbled a bit to yourself before wandering away from the door. Whatever. You would let him be a grumpy ass, then. If he didn’t want your help, that was fine. Though you were more than a little upset that he had inadvertently stomped on the good mood you had going. But… it was fine. Maybe you’d just go take a nap, and hopefully you’d manage to yank yourself out of the slump.

You padded up the second set of stars and pulled open your bedroom door. A dramatic face plant onto your bed was much needed, and it was exactly what you did. It wasn’t long before you managed to eat yourself comfortable, and closed your eyes. Despite your thoughts running a lie a minute, you found yourself slowly drifting off.

“So you’re the human everyone’s been talking about?”

Your eyes snapped open at the unfamiliar voice and you instinctively shot out of your bed, lobbing a pillow towards the intruder. The unfamiliar figure ducked around it.

“Huh. I gotta say, I don’t really see what all of the fuss is. You look like a normal human to me.” The male voice sounded almost… bored.

“Who the hell are you, and how did you get in my room?” You narrowed your eyes at them.

“You’re kind of stupid too, huh?”

“Wha- Hey! You can’t just _appear_ in my room and insult me! That’s not very nice, and I’m not about to put up with it.” You put your hands on your hips and scowled at them.

They shifted a bit, “You’re right. I’m sorry, that was kind of rude of me, wasn’t it?” They reached out a hand to you, and you couldn’t help but take note of the skeletal hand partially hidden by a fingerless glove. “Let’s try that again.”

“You can call me Ink.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am... very sorry about the wait between chapters. They might end up being a bit slower than once a week for a while, but that doesn’t mean the story’s stopped or anything! I’m still working on it and, well, I’ve still got a ways to go, but I’m determined to see it out to the end! ;)


	60. Encounters of the Skeleton Kind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who is this weird stranger in your room? Or better yet, why is this weird stranger in your room?

The skeleton in front of you wiggled his fingers slightly as he waited for you to take his hand. You didn’t, instead settling on giving him an unimpressed look. This guy,  _ Ink  _ apparently, had just showed up in your bedroom while you were trying to sleep, called you stupid, and is now expecting you to shake his hand? Right. Like that was going to happen. 

“Okay then, Ink. What exactly are you doing in my room?” You pointedly crossed your arms. 

He kept his hand out. “I’m meeting you, obviously! Hi!” He blinked and you took a second to look him over.

His outfit was… odd to say the least. Your attention kept coming back to the belt of strange vials that was draped over his chest. You briefly wondered what they were for before your face scrunched up a bit at his shoes. You looked back up at him and… wait… were you crazy or were the strange shapes in his eyes different a few seconds ago?

You opened your mouth to ask more questions before promptly shutting it. He was obviously some kind of version of Sans, so  _ how  _ he got in here wasn’t really the question. The question was how an  _ unfamiliar  _ version of Sans got in here. Then, it hit you almost like a ton of bricks. 

“You… you’re like me.” You dropped your arms to your sides and looked at him in wonder, “You can go between universes like I can, can’t you?”

He grinned, “Ah! There we go! So she does know what’s going on,” He teased before making a contemplative face, “Or, at least, for the most part, hopefully.”

“Actually, I’m still very much so in the dark about most of it. If you know something about what’s going on, I…” you trailed off and he wandered around your room, fiddling with you knick-knacks. He wasn’t even listening to you, was he? 

“What’s this thing have in it?” Nope. He was not. He picked up a small puzzle box off of one of your shelves and began twisting it around in his hands, likely looking for a solution. 

“Nothing. It’s just for decoration. Could you stop touching all of my stuff and answer some of my questions while you’re here?” 

He made a small hum in question before looking over at you, “Questions? You have questions? Why didn’t you just say so! I’d be happy to help you out!”

You gave him a deadpan stare. “Wha-“ With a small shake of your head, you continued, “Okay,  _ why _ are you here?” He was really, really strange, and honestly set you on edge more than a little. But, then again, that may have just been the fact that he appeared in your room in the middle of the night.

“Well I’m here because of you silly! You’ve made quite the splash in the multiverse!” Ink grinned at you. 

“I have?” You reeled back a bit. That… wasn’t good, right? If there were interdimensional beings showing up at your door, it couldn’t have been a good thing. You eyed Ink suspiciously, “You aren’t here to kill me, are you?”

He gave you an odd look, “What? No! Of course not!” He shook his head and set down the puzzle box. “That’s not something that I do. You don’t have to worry! I protect the AU’s!”

“Protect them?” From what? This thing that’s been happening? “I don’t mean to sound bitter, but I kinda felt like I was dealing with the whole ‘universe erasing’ stuff by myself.”

“Oh, you were!” He nodded, “And you handled it pretty much as well as could be expected from a human that had no idea what they were doing! Better even, considering the fact that you aren’t dead!” He gave you an enthusiastic thumbs up. 

“I… what?” You were so confused. “I can’t tell if that was a complement or not.”

He grinned at you, “Any other questions I can answer for you?” You… weren’t entirely sure he had answered  _ anything  _ yet.

Could he even answer your questions? At this point, you weren’t entirely sure. He  _ seemed  _ like he knew what was going on, but he also seemed to be avoiding truly answering anything. You… didn’t even know if he was doing that on purpose, or if he was just  _ that  _ scatterbrained. One thing was for sure, this was by far the strangest encounter you had with a skeleton monster up to that point. Somehow though, you got the sneaking suspicion that it wouldn’t hold that place for very long.  

“Yes.” Maybe strait to the point was the best way to o about this. “Do you know how to stop it?”

“What, the virus?” When you nodded he smiled and tucked his arms behind his back, “Of course I do! And so do you, I think. You just have to have hope!”

You gave him an incredulous look, “Really? That’s the same cheesy vague answer that the black and white version of Frisk gave me.”

He blinked, and the shapes in his eyes changed shape, “Oh! You mean Core! I should have known that they were helping you,” He grinned, “They’re a really sweet kid. Keep a lot of peopling the multiverse safe, y’know? That even have a place for monsters that don’t have a home! Isn’t that really lovely?”

“Um. Yeah, I suppose. But what about the virus? It seems more than a little important that I stop it.” You didn’t think he was doing it on purpose, but all of the sidetracking was going to drive you up the walls if he kept it up. 

He stared at you in thought for a second, “Yeah. Sure. I guess it is.” He tilted his head and seemed to take a second to examine you. “You are… interesting. An anomaly. It’s really cool to meet an anomaly in an alpha timeline!”

“What? What does that even mean?” You shook your head and gave him an incredulous look. You were ninety percent sure that the words he just said were  _ actual  _ gibberish. 

“It means that there’s only one of you, of course! Well, in this multiverse at the very least. But who knows how many different versions of the multiverse there are?!” The shapes in. His eyes changed once more. “There are so many possibilities, it’s almost limitless!”

“Wha-“ You shook your head, “Wait, back up. What do you mean there’s only one of me?”

“I mean exactly what is sounds like I mean!” He grinned and rested a hand on your shoulder. “Think of the multiverse like… a forest. The forest has many trees, each of which has its own branches and leaves. The branches, in this case, are the timelines within each universe, or tree.”

You blinked slowly at him, “Ink… that didn’t answer my question at all. What do you mean I’m an anomaly?”

“I was getting there!” He gave your shoulder a small pat, “You only exist once in this entire multiverse. You aren’t like Sans or Papyrus, where they exist many, many times in different forms.”

You took a second to think about that, “I.. don’t understand. Why  _ me?  _ I’m not special or anything. Or… at least I wasn’t before all of this.”

“I beg to differ, miss.” He gave you a soft smile, “Even I am just a version of Sans. You are  _ very  _ special, and you always have been.” 

You opened your mouth to respond, but your words died on your lips. Why? You didn’t ask for that. You didn’t  _ want _ that. Why couldn’t it have been someone competent? Someone who could actually make this work? Someone who  _ wasn’t  _ you.

“Hey, now.” Ink’s grip on your shoulder tightened, brining you back out of your head. He gave you a worried look. “There’s no need for any of that. You shouldn’t be doubting yourself that much. You’re capable of more than you give yourself credit for.”

You rubbed at your arm and looked away from him in guilt. Didn’t he know what you had done? How many universes you had let die? There was no way he did with the way he was treating you. 

“I’m not…” You sighed, “Listen, Ink. I’ve messed this up so many times already. I can’t… I can’t keep this up. I can’t keep failing people like this.”

His face scrunched up in distaste, “Failing? You haven’t failed anybody! In fact, you’ve done more than anyone ever expected of you! You’re  _ trying,  _ and that’s all we could ever ask of you and more!” He gave you one last pat before stepping back. “It’s impossible to save them all, you know. I… stopped trying to do that a long time ago.”

You tilted your head at his words, “Has this… happened before? This whole virus thing?”

“Nope! First time!” He grinned and made his way over to your door and tugged it open, “What is everyone else up to?”

“Sleeping, probably.” You envied them a bit for that. 

He blinked back at you in surprise, “Really? What time is it?” 

“Well, considering the fact that I was literally in bed when you showed up, I think it would be pretty safe for you to assume that it’s time for sleep.” You raised a brow at his confusion. 

“You were? Oh, geez.” He rubbed sheepishly at the back of his skull, “I’m sorry, then! I didn’t mean to wake you up!”

“Hard to wake someone who wasn’t asleep yet in the first place,” You shrugged nonchalantly. 

“Be that as it may, it was still very rude of me to interrupt your rest! Sleep is very important, you know!” He shook his head, “It’s no wonder you were so upset with me when I first got here!”

You shook your head, “I wasn’t-“ okay, maybe you were. “I’m sorry about that, but, in all fairness, I think it was pretty justified.”

He nodded, “You are absolutely right! I will have to make it up to you!”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” You gave him a small smile, “It’s not the worst first meeting I’ve had, if I’m being completely honest.”

“I insist! What can I do to fix this?”

“Dude, I already told you. You don’t have to do anything. It’s fine.” You shook your head at him. “No hard feelings, I promise.”

He stared at you for a while before he spoke, a relaxed smile on his face. “Alright. If you say so, lady.”

“You are very strange.” You hadn’t meant to say that out loud. Much to your surprise, though, he didn’t seem the least bit phased by it.

“Strange in a good way, I hope!” He rolled on his feet a bit. “Actually, you aren’t the first person to say so! I get that more often than you would think. Maybe it’s because they’ve never met someone like me before!”

You raised a brow at him before shaking your head, “Yeah. Maybe.” You… very much so doubted that was the case. Well, maybe it was true that they hadn’t met someone like him, but it most certainly wasn’t the reason he was odd. 

“I guess that means that we’re both pretty weird, huh?” He smiled and poked at you a bit. “But weird in a good way.”

You waved off his hand with a small smiled, “I guess. But, uh, and don’t take this the wrong way. I enjoy your company and stuff, but, why exactly are you here, again?”

He blinked a few times in surprise, “I didn’t already tell you?” He frowned a bit at that. “Well, shoot. Sorry about that, lady.”

“You  _ did _ say that you were here because of me, but I don’t… quite know what that means. Are you just here for some kind of strange visit?”

He stared at you quietly for a second, the ever changing shapes in his eyes continuously looking down at your chest. Eventually, he gave you a soft smile. “Kind of! I’m here to help you, silly! You seem like you don’t really know what you’re doing, and there’s no way Classic can help you with any of this stuff, or any of the others for that matter.”

You nodded slowly, as if you understood what he was talking about, before quickly shaking your head, “Help me with what?”

“Why, your universe problems, of course!” He rested his hands on his hips, “It seems like your issues lie in your magic, which seems vastly untapped. I can fix that, of course! We’ll just need to-“

The sound of a throat clearing on the other side of the room caused him to stop mid-sentence. Both of you swiveled over to see Red glowering at Ink. He had his arms crossed as he sized the new skeleton up. Ink didn’t seem the least bit intimidated. In fact, he seemed rather…. disappointed?

“gotta say, doll. ‘m not a big fan of gettin’ woken up. ‘specially when it’s by a giant flux in magic.” He shrugged, “guess that’s not your fault though, is it?” He looked pointedly at Ink. 

“Oh! Hi there, Underfell Sans! I’m-“

“i don’t care.” Red interrupted before looking over at you. “this guy botherin’ ya? where the hell did he come from, anyways? don’t remember ya dragging this one back.”

Ink seemed unperturbed by Red’s rudeness, “Of course I’m not bothering her! And she didn’t drag me from anywhere! I came here completely of my own volition! My name is Ink, and I-”  

“yeah, yeah. that’s nice,” Red took a few steps closer to you. “do you want him outta here?”

You opened your mouth to answer, but were cut off when Ink dropped his hand on your shoulder and continued, “She doesn’t! We were having a nice chat, that’s it! In fact I was about to help her fix the virus.”

“she don’t need your help.” Red scowled, “and she’s perfectly capable of answerin’ for herself, too.” He almost seemed to be glaring a hole right into Ink’s hand that was still resting on your shoulder. 

You made the executive decision to shrug it off and take a few steps away from both of them. “Look, guys. You need to stop arguing. I haven’t even gotten a word in since you showed up,” You pointed over at Red. “And  _ I  _ think that I need significantly more sleep if I’m going to have to deal with this.” You crossed your arms, “So, if you two gentleman wouldn’t mind coming back when I’m not trying to sleep, I would really appreciate it.”

They both stared over at you for a few seconds. Red was the first to move, shoving his hands in his pockets and grinning at you. “alright, doll. i’ll get outta yer hair and let the others know we got a tagalong.”

“Wha- tagalong! I’m not a tagalong! I’m-“

“ya already said who ya were. don’t gotta say it again.” Red smirked over at Ink before flicking his head to your door. “don’t worry doll, me an’ the peanut gallery will keep a socket on him.”

You let out a small sigh and nodded before going back to sit on your bed. 

“Well, wait a second, I wasn’t done talking to her! I was about to help with her magic!” Ink protested as he was pushed over to the door by Red.

“like hell you were, art boy. we’ve got that covered.” Red winked over at you as he shoved Ink out the door. 

“But-“ the door slammed shut, muffling whatever argument Ink was making. You slumped over in relief before falling back on your bed. You rubbed at your eyes a bit before tugging the blankets back over you and reaching over to click your light off once more.

...Yeah, right. Who were you kidding? There was no way you’d be able to go back to sleep right after all of that. Instead, you just sat in the darkness and thought. Could Ink really help you? He seemed nice enough, if not extremely ditzy and scatterbrained. He  _ had _ for sure come from another universe, at the very least. And he seemed to know who that Frisk was. Maybe…this was exactly what you needed to happen. Maybe you could stop fumbling around in the dark  _ for once _ .

  
Even if it wasn’t the save all you were looking for, he had given you quite a bit to think about. In fact, you doubted you’d be doing anything  _ other _ than mulling over his words for the rest of the night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowzers, you guys were... very excited about Ink! I hope I do him justice! He’s a entertaining character to write for!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading! I really appreciate the support on my little story!! I hope that you all enjoy what I write!
> 
> Here’s my Tumblr for those that are interested in stopping by: 
> 
> [boop.](https://lost-immortality.tumblr.com)
> 
> [Guess who caved and set up a Discord?](https://discord.gg/jepdwsy)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [You are Now Online](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15545094) by [Duckiedragon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duckiedragon/pseuds/Duckiedragon)
  * [Irresponsible Dimensional Alignment](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15224108) by [coreplant](https://archiveofourown.org/users/coreplant/pseuds/coreplant)




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